Stuck In The Middle
by FireyFox0526
Summary: Fox McCloud finds himself in a romantic dilemma. Will he find himself straight with Krystal, or will be gay with Wolf? He has so many choices, but only one path to take... Follow him as he explores this adventure known as life. Warning: If you don't like yaoi, never fear if you read the description before the chapter begins. I will put a warning there for y'all.
1. Prologue: What Happened After

_**Hello reader,**_

 _ **This is a brief message from her, FireyFox0526. This is my first fanfiction, so I'm trying my very best!**_

 _ **This fanfiction will contain yaoi and straight parts, so yaoi will be mentioned in the message in the beggining of the chapter.**_

 _ **To make this enjoyable for everyone, I would like to read review that may help me in my writing.**_

 _ **So, with that out of the way, enjoy readin Stuck In the Middle!**_

BOOM! As the Aparoid Queen shrieked in fury, the Star Fox team was screaming in celebration. They had did it! They had beaten the Aparoid Queen! As they circled the destroyed Aparoid homeworld, one member was not cheering as loudly. Fox McCloud, the leader of the famous mercenary team Star Fox, had many conflicting thoughts after the battle.

Sure, he was happy that the Aparoid war is over, and Peppy and ROB survived their ordeal, but the splitting image of James McCloud was still fresh in his mind. He put on a facade, even though Krystal, the telepath, could sense something up in Fox's mind.

"Fox, are you ok?", she asked over the comm-link.

"Huh? Yeah!" The vulpine replied with more enthusiasm than let on. "We killed the Queen, no more Aparoid battles, everyone is safe".

Krystal sighed and replied, "Yeah, we finally won, but a little talk at Corneria when we get back?" Fox looked surprised, but he accepted.

The comm-link ended, and Fox was alone in the cockpit of his Arwing. He leaned against the seat, sighed heavily, and rubbed his temples. He was getting quite a headache…

As they made their way to the warp portal, Fox got a call on his comm-link. It read General Pepper. Fox quickly answered the call, and was not met with a certain dog's face, but one he enjoyed to see nonetheless.

"BILL!"

"FOX!"

"How are you doing Bill? Haven't seen you in forever!" Fox happily commented.

"Good, but Rocky's in the hospital again, I gotta take up Husky again," Bill replied. Fox sighed, and asked, "What happened to him?"

Bill answered, "He got ambushed by the Aparoids as they were making a patrol between Corneria and Katina. No casualties, but they won just barely. Rocky's sorta, like, really hurt. This actually happened a few hours ago"

Fox cursed. If he was just a little bit quicker to kill the Aparoid Queen, Rocky wouldn't be in the hospital right now.

"Well, how is he?"

"He got away with a broken arm and some ribs, but he'll be okay, they wouldn't let a commander like him die so easily"

Fox replied with a wistful, "Yeah…" Fox thought back to their academy days, when Fox, Falco, Bill, Slippy, and Rocky would get together. **Actually, sometimes with Falco, other times not. They would have lunch at the Corneria Air Military center, talking about teenage boy stuff, like video games, how they hated the written tests, and hot girls. Falco was always the one to bring the last one up. Fox, being the best of the best, was always swarmed with admirers, who some were deemed "acceptable" and "okay", mostly from his friends. Fox was never one to date, he was too shy to. He would be teased, but he was stoic, and wanted to accomplish his goal of killing Andross forever. All his friends supported him. Falco and Slippy joined Star Fox as soon as Fox reformed it, and Bill became the commander of Bulldog unit, while Rocky was commander of Husky unit. Rocky was tough, and would stand up for his friends anytime. So, when Fox left, he gave him a gift, in the form of a locket, with a picture of them beaming at the camera, the happiness from the picture could always cheer Fox up a little bit, if not more.**

As Fox looked at the said locket, Bill coughed *Fox*. Fox snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the comm-link.

"Huh? What?", he asked.

"I just said that General Pepper is resting as well, he's fine, just like anyone affected by the Aparoids," Bill shuddered at the last thought.

Fox assured him, "It's all over now Bill, you can relax a little bit". Bill did relax a little bit, but it was still clearly nagging his mind.

An awkward silence continued, until Bill burst out with haste. "Right! I need you to land at these coordinates, at a destroyed hangar in Corneria. I have to show you something! Plus a surprise!"

"Can I get a hint?"

"They're a product of my teachings!"

"Like, What do you mean?"

Bill rolled his eyes, "Fox, I taught these ladies what they know, and admittedly, they're good enough to shoot down me and Rocky when we're in a tag team"

Fox then whistled, amused that Bill and Rocky were bested by their students. "You said they were females?"

"Yeah, what's that got to do with anything, is my best friend Fox finally trying to do something here?"

Fox looked mortified, and quickly denied it. "No! It's just that I haven't heard of top class pilots being two women!" He then proceeded to slap himself in the face. He had already met Krystal, a better than a great pilot, and Fara Phoenix, an old childhood friend who graduated in the top 15 pilots in the year before Fox graduated.

"Woah! What are you doing there buddy?! I don't need my friend to start slapping his own face! Keep that up and I'll make Rocky come after you," Fox gulped. You wouldn't want to be around Rocky when one of his friends get hurt. Fox almost experienced that first hand, trying to help Slippy up to the cockpit of a ship. He accidentally pulled too hard, making Slippy crash into the other side of the ship. Fox thought he was going to die.

"I'm only a little frustrated at myself lately. I've been forgetting stuff and I need a wake-up call."

"That, my friend, is what we Cornerians call stress."

"Har-de-har-har." laughed Fox sarcastically. "I didn't know such a thing existed!"

"Oh, you don't get that as much as a commander of two teams now"

"Well, I have to take care of my own team"

"True," Bill sighed. "Well, I have to go get them ready, see ya Fox!"

"Bye Bill"

And with that, the communication link ended.

After getting back to a destroyed Cornerian military hangar, Fox's headache felt a lot better, and he and the rest of the team embraced Peppy and ROB, who came out of the escape pod.

Fox had tears in his eyes as he hugged Peppy. Peppy hugged Krystal and Slippy, yet Falco wouldn't even look at him.

Fox noticed this and asked the blue bird, "Falco, what's wrong?" Falco turned to him and retorted, "We lost the Great Fox, it's going to take forever to gain all the money back! And we nearly lost Peppy and ROB too…" Falco had softly muttered the last part, and Fox's ears pricked up in amusement.

"Didn't quite catch that last part Falco," Fox playfully poked at the bird.

Falco turned to him and yelled,"WE NEARLY LOST PEPPY AND ROB AND…" and Falco started to falter, "I wouldn't want to lose a team member, even if he's an old annoying bunny or a robot with no feelings"

Everyone had a good laugh as Falco's skin burned with embarrassment.

"Never thought that you would say that," said Slippy in his high pitched voice. "Guess even a smart toad like me learns something new every day!"

Falco looked at Slippy and flatly said, "I take back my statement and I'll miss everyone but a certain green smart aleck toad."

"HEY!"

Krystal leaned over to whisper to Slippy, "He doesn't actually mean it." but she whispered loud enough for the blue avian to only sigh as the team had a good laugh, which was soon joined by his own.

After the laughter died down, out of the blue, Krystal stated, "I think that retirement is reasonable. Fox paled and whined, "What?! I mean, mercenary work is not for everyone, it's dangerous, but I think that you held up your own in the Aparoid Wars…" the vulpine's head flared up in pain. "This isn't the "talk" that you wanted to talk to me about, right?"

Krystal was taken aback. "No, of course not! I was reading Peppy's mind, and he, well…"

Peppy confidently said, "I'm leaving Lylat in the hands of the best team in the system. I think I can rest easy. But…" Peppy turned towards the other side of the hangar, "It makes me feel better when you have some company with you".

Fox couldn't believe his eyes. Across the hangar was a familiar bulldog. Bill Grey was going to join Star Fox?! Fox's mood dampened as he realized General Pepper would not let such an important commander leave. Then he saw the two figures talking to him. One was a tall white spaniel with a red bow on her head, and the other, a much shorter lynx. Both were in conversation with Bill.

After Fox made eye contact with Bill, Bill stopped the conversation and walked over to him, with the spaniel and lynx following him.

The two best friends walked to each other, clasped hands, and proceeded to bro-hug each other. Then they did the handshake only best friends know from their academy days. Falco only looked on with a hint of jealousy that THEIR handshake wasn't as long as Fox and Bill's. Well, Fox did know Bill longer. Ah, well, no need to dwell on the past, Falco.

After it ended, Bill announced to them, "These two fine young ladies have been invitied to join Star Fox, if I'm not mistaken".

As the duo stood there and nodded to the Star Fox team, Krystal leaned over and whispered into Fox's ear, "Watch out for the dog… she's thinking to jump you"

"Hey!" The spaniel finally burst out, "I'm Fay and this is my best friend Miyu!"

The lynx next to her nodded, "Yeah, Peppy here asked Fay if she could join Star Fox to help, and she brought me along".

Falco, though was not impressed.

"Are you sure you are qualified for Star Fox?" He asked rudely.

"Oh, yes!" Fay replied, "We graduated from the Cornerian Flight Academy with Bill as our instructor!"

Falco shook his head and replied, "That's "impressive" and all, but that isn't enough"

Fox remembered the comm-call with Bill earlier today, and he was talking about two tough female pilots and guessed that they were standing in front of them. "Did you take down Bill and Rocky in the simulator?" Fox asked with a hint of amusement.

"Oh yes! Plenty of times!" Fay answered. " _Well…"_ Fox thought to himself " _We should give them at least a chance, Peppy also called them up, they should be at least decent to also shoot Bill and Rocky down many times."_

"Well… we should give them a chance at least, don't you guys think so?" Fox asked, turning toward his team.

Krystal nodded, Slippy following her lead, and Falco looked away with a, "tch! Fine I guess". Krystal giggled and Falco looked at her, clearly annoyed. "What?" Krystal, trying to muffle her giggle, and whispered, "you were thinking of bringing Katt along too, right?"

Now it was the rest of the team to have a laugh. Man, Falco's having a rough day, they beat the Aparoid Queen, new teammates, they were all laughing, but yet, Fox couldn't shake off the feeling of his father, how much better it would be with him there…

"HEY, FOX MCCLOUD! ARE YOU THERE?!" Fox jumped as Falco shouted into his ear. "We gotta formally accept them into the team, and I'm hungry!" Falco was right, they had to do exactly that. It was becoming dusk, and Slippy's tummy agreed with Falco's statement.

"Uh, ok. Fay and Miyu, welcome to the team," Fox stuck out his hand to be shaken, but Fay had other ideas. "Yaaay! Thanks Fox! Miyu and I won't let you down!"

As Fay tackled him with a hug, Miyu went up to Fox and gave him a handshake. This happened to everyone, and Falco was having none of that.

"Shaking hands is good enough ok?"

"Ok…" Fay said reluctantly, and shook his hand.

"Now that we got that all under control, let's go eat!" Peppy barked.

"Right!" Everyone replied, and started calling taxis.

" _Sigh… I thought I would be able to stay longer, but my body tells me otherwise…"_ Peppy felt a hand on his shoulder. It belonged to Fox.

Fox started it all out with a big hug. "We'll miss you Peppy. Thank you for all the hard work you've done for us. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be fighting now" Peppy said, "Aw, shucks guys, that's just my job. It's just that I'll support the team in a different way. Oh, right, Slippy?" Slippy looked up from his communicator. "Hm?"

"I already got everything done, the dinner, hotel, and the repairs of the Arwings".

Slippy simply said, "Oh, ok! Thanks Peppy!"

The taxis arrived, and they piled in.

They arrived at the Corneria plaza, at a cooling afternoon, not yet evening. They made plans to come back to the pizza place there, Corneria Pizza Kitchen, at 7.

Let's see what they split up into, and where they went…

Falco, being the anti socialist that he claims to be, sits at a bench after shopping at a few stores for clothes he lost on the Great Fox, and goes on his phone.

It doesn't turn out all that well for him… as a reporter spots him sitting there on his phone, the reporter sees a great chance at getting a scoop. She trots up to Falco, and taps his shoulder. Falco whips around and comes face-to-face with… Katt's sister, another pink feline.

Falco, however, doesn't know this. Or does he? It was Kitt, (Yeah, that's her name, deal with it. Kitt, Katt) who looks a lot like Katt, save her green eyes, contrasting her sister's blue eyes.

"So, Mr. Falco Lombardi, how does it feel to be on the Star Fox team with the famed Fox McCloud?" As she held the mic by Falco's beak, there was no response.

"May I ask the question again?" Kitt asked. She was greeted by silence, and she looked at his phone and saw that he was comm-texting Katt.

Suddenly, a notification for a comm-link came though.

"Uh-oh, well, Mr. Falco Lombardi, I will leave you to enjoy your day, good day sir" and with that, she bolted off, with the cameraman faithfully following her.

As Falco opened up the link, Katt was furious. "Are you sure that was my sister trying to get news out of you?! I will strangle her when I get the chance, did you tell her anything about us, or did you say something bad?! My sister's good at making you say things you shouldn't say, especially when you shouldn't be sayi…"

Falco chucked, "No, I didn't tell her anything about us, I completely ignored her, and she bolted when she saw your comm-link call get through"

There was maniacal cackling on the other end of the link. After that, Falco cackles too, pulling a prank on your girfriend's sister is the best!

"So my sweet little chicken wing…"

"I thought I told you not to call me that, pussy-Katt"

"Do you want to meet me?"

Falco immediately responded, "Yes!"

"So don't call me that, and I'll stop calling you that too, deal?"

"Deal"

"Now where are you…?"

Falco looked around, and told her, "I'm by the Cornerian Beagle, Star Credits, and Fandastic Sandwiches"

"Oh, I see you now!"

Falco notices a certain pink feline waving at him, and ends the call…

Slippy, Peppy, and ROB are going to the repair tools shop, to get materials needed to fix up the Arwings and to modify the new ones coming in soon for Miyu and Fay. After coming out of the shop, they drive to the hangars where they are held.

Peppy asked Slippy, "why are YOU repairing the ship? Why not let someone else take care of it? Slippy replied, "Well, I like it better when I know I contributed at least something in the fights, and I want to add a little upgrade to the Arwings. Also, it'll cost you more than me"

Peppy balked, and realized that.

"Gonna need some time on these repairs, Peppy," Slippy informed Peppy.

"Time estimated to be… 16 hours before each Arwing is in shape to fight full force," ROB helpfully informed them. "Thanks ROB, that gives us a few days to kick back and relax for a bit, don't'cha think, Slip?"

"Yeah, I'm really relieved that this was the result that came out of this war"

Peppy sighed, and responded, "Yes, Slippy. I'm relieved that I'm retiring and hoping to live a full, ripe age!"

Slippy closed his eyes, and thought about it too. "Maybe I shouldn't go out to fight in an Arwing, even though I repair them, I can't fly as well as everyone else in the team! Maybe I should stay in the base of operations and be like a tactician or something like that!"

"Slippy?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think you can be a tactician, because you are always going out alone, trying to become a "Fox". We all think that you are incredibly helpful to the team, and we appreciate that. But please for the sake of the team, do analysis and repairs for the team?"

Slippy thought about it, and accepted. "At least that's one less Arwing to worry about!" Slippy and Peppy laughed at Slippy's joke while ROB droned, "ha-ha-ha-ha that is very funny Slippy"...

In the heart of the jungle, the lone tod is in a mass of female predators. He's at Charming Carmelita by the way.

"OH MY GOD I GOT TO TOUCH FOX MCCLOUD!"

"HA! YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD? I GOT A SELFIE WITH HIM!"

"I LOVE YOU FOX! WILL YOU DATE ME?!"

Fox's ears started to hurt, and he didn't like it one bit. He tried to satisfy every girl there with autographs, pictures, and getting a high five. (Star Fox policy, no more than that).

" _Will they take any longer? I can't take these women any more, why did I agree to come to a girls store still in my Star Fox uniform?! I surprise even myself with how stupid I am sometimes."_

Now, don't get him wrong, he loves his fans, but… his fans love him a little too much. Thankfully, he could see the trademark red bow of Fay making her way towards him, yet he couldn't see Miyu (probably because she was that short, but boy, was she tough!) and more importantly, Krystal.

They had made an agreement to not split up… as a pinch in his tush makes him yelp in surprise. He turns around quickly, expecting to find a fan, only to see Krystal decked out in new clothes, an orange t-shirt with jeans, and many bags in her hand. One fan noticed this, and went ham.

"OH MY GOD THAT GIRL JUST TOUCHED FOX MCCLOUDS BUTT SHE BROKE THE POLICY SHE IS FOREVER OUTCAST FROM THE FANS AND IS A DISGRACE TO US FOX ARE YOU OKAY"

Fox recoiled and said, "Yeah, I'll take care of her and her friends outside, I'll make sure to give them the punishment they deserve". Krystal lifted her eyebrows at this comment and reluctantly let Fox drag her by the arm outside, where Fay and Miyu were waiting.

Thankfully, there were only windows displaying new clothes from the store, as the quartet made their hasty escape.

When they got to Cornerian Beagle, it was 5:30, and they were there for Fox's clothing. They spent a decent amount of time searching for matches to Fox's physically unmatched body, such as tank tops, v-necks, heck, even Fox could sport a sports bra.

(Now that that image is burned into your mind, you're welcome.) they finally decided on a simple blue tank top with jeans. (You see where this is going now?). As they exited, Fox saw a flick of a pink tail and a blue feather rounding the corner.

"Oh-no…"

"What's the matter Fox? Don't like your outfit?" Miyu joked.

"No… but… nevermind. You'll see when we get to the pizzeria"

Krystal looked at her watch and exclaimed, "Speaking of the pizzeria, it's only 3 minutes until 7!"

And with that, they ran as fast as they could towards the pizzeria, with the Corneria theme from Star Fox Zero faintly playing. (Seriously, it's a good song, and I run to it when I work out.)

There were good news, and bad news. The good news is, the quartet were barely on time, arriving just seconds before 7, but the bad news was, everyone else wasn't there. They were seated with confused looks from the staff, who were wondering who would be filling up the spaces at the table.

Just as if on cue, Falco and Katt burst in.

Falco started, "Sorry we're late. We got caught up in helping an old lady cross the street"

Fox giggled, and Falco knew why.

He shot Fox a look that said, "Don't you goddamn dare you fox"

Why does Fox know this? Well, first, there were no streets from Cornerian Beagle to Corneria Pizza Kitchen, second Falco would never help an old lady unless he got something back, unless the hangar made him a little more open about his emotions, and hey, not meeting your girlfriend after a stressful war? You gotta get back to them.

As Falco and Katt were being seated at the table, Fox got a comm-text from Peppy. It read, "Sorry Fox, Slippy wants to get as much done on the Arwings as possible, so we are ordering and won't be getting to the pizzeria until we have to come pick you up. Also, expect two more people to come in so reserve those. Do a barrel roll!"

Fox chuckled at Peppy's last comment. Even though he puts it at the end of every text, it never fails to make him laugh.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't a certain Fox man who I've quite literally have been dying to meet since forever"

Fox turned and saw his battered husky friend, Rocky. Fox immediately went up to the taller lupus, and gave him a hug, making Rocky wince. "Fox? I don't want to die due to giving a hug to a shorter vulpine". Fox realized this and released his grip on Rocky. Fox joked, "I can see the headlines now. Commander of Husky unit dies to Fox McCloud hugging him maybe just a little too much"

Rocky's laugh booms through the restaurant. "Now that's the Fox that I would know! And hey! Since I was coming to meet you guys, I might as well bring another friend!" It was Bill, who, unlike his companion gave his foxy friend a manly hug.

As they went to the table, the new recruits stood up and saluted them, then realized they didn't need to anymore. Being in Star Fox has already been life changing for them.

"So how's the first day of being on Star Fox going ladies?" Rocky asked them. Fay recounted the events earlier today, "We now know that Fox's weakness is over-loving fans, jokes, and someone who must not be named." Fox chucked at her analysis, "She's already observing, just like how you would do to girls at the Flight academy". This was directed at Falco, who stiffened at the comment, and turned to Fox slowly.

"What did you say Fox?"

"N-nothing!"

Falco stood up, walked to Fox slowly, who, at every step was afraid on what the avian would do. Said bird then wore a grin so large he couldn't be recognized as Falco Lombardi, ace pilot of the Star Fox team. "I don't need to, 'cause I found the perfect girl for me" said Falco as he turned toward Katt. Katt blushed at his sweet talk, and then pulls him in for a kiss. Don't ask me how she did it, she's a witch, even able to reel Falco in.

Everyone stood awestruck for a brief moment, then they went back to talking. They didn't want to draw too much attention to what just happened.

One topic of talk was Fay and Miyu's mentorship. Apparently, Bill had been mentoring Miyu, and Rocky Fay. Rocky was only a little bit annoyed when Bill said he told Fox he mentored both.

When the food came, everyone was so hungry that they ordered 3 of the largest pizzas, and they were still hungry after that! Boy, were the cooks in the kitchen working hard!

Miyu volunteered to feed Rocky, and she didn't seem to mind, saying that this was thanks. Fox was watching wistfully at Falco acting like he was giving a slice to Katt's mouth, but decided against it halfway through and brought it to his own. Needless to say, he lost that slice.

Krystal was watching him, seeing that Fox was still distressed. She decided to put more slices of pizza on Fox's plate. When Fox noticed, he looked at her questioningly, while she was nibbling at the crust of her slice.

Krystal told him, "Eat, and talk with your friends, it will make you feel better, I promise"

Fox was touched by her concern, and followed her advice. "Thanks Krystal". And he proceeded to give her a side hug, because they were sitting right by each other. The rest of the night came easier and cleaner to Fox.

Three hours after getting advice from Krystal, Fox and the team walked down the hall of rooms, all ready to go to bed.

"'Night y'all" Falco yawned as he went into his room, carrying a sleeping Katt.

"Goodnight Falco" Fox answered sleepily. One by one, the team dispersed, going to their rooms to get a good night's sleep. Fox and Krystal were the only ones left.

"Fox?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember the talk we were going to have when we got back to Corneria?"

"Oh, yeah"

"I asked Peppy if we could share a room together for that purpose"

Fox looked at Krystal in bewilderment. Sure, he had romantic feelings for her, but it seemed a bit sudden, also considering the fact that *ahem* aren't an item. (Yet) ;)

"Uh…"

"Don't worry, we have separate beds… unless you don't want me there…?"

"No, no! I-It's all fine! It's j-just that…"

Krystal knew exactly what he meant, and she liked to tease him from time to time.

"Aw, what happened to the stoic Fox fighting the Queen?"

After a brief silence, Fox conceded, "You're right, I need to talk"

And they went into the room together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They lay in their beds and talked into the night, the events that happened earlier today, until the main purpose of the conversation was brought up.

"Hey Krystal?"

"Yes, Fox?"

"Umm… what did you want to talk about, really?"

"Oh yes, I sensed you were distressed after you saw your father. And the way that you refused to submit to the Queen was a whole other matter, but seeing only the silhouette of your father… it had a toll on you", Krystal explained.

Fox only sighed and admitted it. A soft creak could be heard as Krystal got up from her bed, and her soft feet padded on the wooden floor. Fox could not expect what was coming next. She gave him a hug as someone who deeply cares for one another.

As Fox was surprised by her embrace, he strangely felt safe, and he knew that he could trust her. Despite being in his early twenties, the vulpine knew many emotional mountains and troughs, from happiness to depression, and this was the former. As they melted into the hug, Fox softly drifted to sleep.

As Fox slept soundly, Krystal quietly got out of the bed, not wanting to disturb him. " _And not to give him the idea, I want to let him sleep, he's stressed enough"._ And with that, she climbed into her own bed, and whispered, "Goodnight Fox…" as her tired body let herself be taken by sleep.

 _ **As a little footnote...**_

 _ **This is a chapter in my optimal length, (5,000) and I aspire to write one that is longer, about 8,000 words.**_

 _ **This is my first fanfiction, so reviewing will help me a lot!**_

 _ **Stay Foxy y'all!**_

 _ **-FireyFox0526**_


	2. Chapter 1: Star Fox 2

_**Hello, everyone, it's me again!**_

 _ **This story got out a lot quicker than I anticipated, and I'm happy about that (I got a little too much time on my hands). After a thoughtful review, I have decided to alter the plot a little bit (Don't worry, if you're here for some Fox x Wolf action, it isn't far off). "I" make an appearance in this chapter, only to clean up the story line, and hopefully some humorous bits. Also, because of confusion, I will rewrite the description, and if that still isn't enough for you guys, I would be happy to summarize the story thus far, in it's own separate chapter. You just gotta let me know! I'm sorry if the story seems a bit rushed, point me out on that, and now, enjoy reading Chapter 1 of Stuck In The Middle!**_

 **Chapter 1: Star Fox 2**

As Fox's eyes opened, they were welcomed with bright sunlight. As he sat up and squinted at the window letting the eye sore of bright light in, he noticed Krystal was not present in the room. He looked at the clock. It read 9:47.

Fox let himself realize that she must have already been awake, and probably left to go get breakfast. So he put on his sleep robe (provided by the hotel), and walked out of the room, making sure he had the key card.

Walking into the lobby, he saw faces he saw only yesterday, Falco, Katt, Fay, Miyu, Slippy, and Peppy were there, but Krystal was still noticeably absent. Fox shrugged the fact off.

He observed them looking at something at the table, and intently. At Fox's entrance, Peppy looked up. Fox walked over to the table, where the rabbit handed him a cup of hot coffee. Fox thanked him, "Thanks Peppy, just the right drink to get yourself awake. What are you guys doing?"

Miyu was eating a bagel. She yawned and looked up from the table, revealing they were looking at a map and brochure of Corneria City. While Fox began looking at the map, a mysterious figure came into the hotel, carrying a bag. No one noticed this figure as they made their way into the elevator.

"We were deciding on what we should do today, because we have some time to relax after the Aparoid Wars. General Pepper also gave us a bonus for saving him, and Peppy's retirement!" explained Slippy.

Peppy interjected, "We already used the retirement money to buy or make a new Great Fox, the Great Fox II!"

Fox's eyes clearly lit up, and Falco muttered, "Don't need that coffee now…"

Fay sleepily looked at Fox's coffee and asked, "Then can I have the coffee?"

"Sure," Fox then giving the cup to the eager spaniel, asked, "What do we have in mind?"

Slippy answered without looking up, "The amusement park is still in commision, we could go there…". And was promptly slapped by Falco.

"OUCH!"

"OW!"

That was Slippy… and Falco, when Katt slapped him too.

"Kaaaaatt, what was that for?" complained Falco.

"For slapping Slippy!" She shot back.

"Well, he wasn't paying attention!" Falco retorted

"We all need to rest, and Slippy HAS been working on the Arwings last night!" she finally said.

Falco looked at Katt in sarcasm, and asked, "And what did you do in the War?"

Katt looked back at him, and answered, "When I was fighting Aparoids with the Cornerian army, Star Wolf appeared, and asked where you guys were. We pointed them in the portal".

The Star Fox team was appalled to hear what came from Katt Monroe's mouth.

" So THAT'S how Star Wolf came to us… we are in many thanks for their and your help," Fox thanked.

"Well, I can't let my blue boyfriend die by bug machines," she reasoned. "And his friends,".

A thought popped into Fox's mind. "Speaking of friends, where's Krystal?" everybody shrugged, showing no knowledge on the blue vixen. Falco and Katt heard Fox's words in disappointment. They had hoped that he would say something different about Krystal. They clearly didn't want Fox to say that.

"We've been here since early morning, and we haven't seen her. She must be back in your guys' room," said Slippy.

"Thanks,"

And with that, Fox went into the elevator to go back up to his room. " _Shit! I forgot about my breakfast!"_ As his stomach rumbled, he thought about the bagel Miyu nibbled on " _I want something to eat, and soon!"_

After he unlocked the door to the room, he was fully awake, and was able to take in the detail of their hotel room. He saw the main room, complete with a tv and a red couch. He turned right and found the bedroom, leading into the bathroom. To his left, was the kitchen. Fox looked in the kitchen first. He noticed some fruits were on the island in the middle of the kitchen, and wondered where they came from. He assumed it was courtesy of the hotel, so he took an apple, and ate it. At least some of his hunger was being curved.

" _Where could Krystal be?"_

As he stepped into the main room, he could hear faint _pitter-pats_ , and wondered where they came from. He carefully listened, but lost the trail in the bedroom. Fox sighed, and wondered where they came from. Oh, Fox, you are so thick-headed sometimes.

Fox sat down on his bed, spotting the orange shirt Krystal wore the night before on her bed. " _I would really like to eat an orange right now…_ "

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened up to Krystal, thankfully wrapped in a towel, and drying her hair. Fox noticed this, yelped and ran out of the room apologizing, "Oh my god, Krystal! I'M SO SORRY!".

Krystal was just as surprised at Fox's presence and reaction.

After drying herself off and getting her clothes back on again, she went into the main room, where she found Fox. He was trying to focus on watching the weather report news on tv. The reporter was none other than Katt's sister, Kitt.

"There seems to be a bit of cloudiness today, but expect the weather to be clear and sunny today!" She said in a cheery voice. "And don't forget to thank the Star Fox, Star Wolf teams and the Cornerian Army for keeping us safe! This is Kitt Monroe, back to you, Richard," and the screen changed to a hard faced raccoon…

Fox could feel the eyes on him, deciding what the body belonging to those eyes should do. Shifting his focus back to the tv, he wanted to eat something, and badly.

Delicate, yet hardened hands closed around his eyes.

"Guess who?"

"Krystal?"

She laughed, letting go of him, and his ears delved into the melodious sounds…

Krystal looked at him, eyes closed in content… until she boxed his ears.

"Hey! What was that for?"

Krystal giggled yet again, and answered, "Well, you DID walk in on my showering… and didn't say hi when I came into the room"

"U-um… I didn't mean to do that… it's just so awkward…"

" _Especially because I like you"_

"What was that?" Krystal asked. Fox looked at her in surprise. "N-nothing! What do you mean?!"

Krystal facepalmed, and re-informed him, "I'm a telepath, remember?"

Fox's brain: " _Oh, shit!"_

Krystal's brain: " _He's so cute when he's flustered!"_

Fox tried to get off topic, "Oh, right! Well, the weather is nice today, and Slippy suggested we go to the amusement park!"

"That sounds like a good idea! I'll go get ready!"

As Krystal turned away, Fox sighed in relief, " _Thank god I dodged that bullet"_

In the next room, Krystal was silently dying with laughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Fox changed into his blue tank top, they made their way towards the lobby, making sure they had their key cards. Falco saw them first, and mentally noted that they had the same clothes as yesterday. "Took ya long enough"

Fox apologized, "Sorry, I didn't eat breakfast and I had to eat something,".

Of course he didn't want to tell them about the incident, he would be the laughing stock of the team!

Krystal ruined that, and added, "He also walked in on me after I took my shower,"

Everyone looked at Fox in amusement, as he burned hot enough his sweat could make Fox tea.

"Hey! It's not what you think it is…"

"Sure, pal. We believe you. We know how stupid you could be sometimes," Falco teased.

Katt muttered, "Speak for yourself, birdbrain,".

Falco did not do anything, he knew the consequences of arguing with Katt. With a strained grin, he turned to Slippy, who was trying to hide a smile, and asked the frog, "Have we decided on what to do today?"

"We could go to the amusement park, or stay here and relax. We could also bring Bill and Rocky,"

Fox, Krystal, and Miyu all replied simultaneously, "Amusement park," and they all looked at each other. Fox stated his purpose to go, "I want to go on the new Arwing ride they built last summer. I need to see how close it is to an actual Arwing!".

Miyu stated hers next, "I need to see our mentors and thank them on their hard work, don'tcha think, Fay?"

Fay simply replied, "Yeah".

Finally, Krystal, in a small voice, "I haven't gone to an amusement park. I want to go, we didn't have any of them back on Cerenia..." Everyone looked at Krystal in surprise.

Falco stuttered, "Y-y-you haven't gone on any rides? How old are you? OW!" Katt had slapped his head again, and retorted, "You don't ask a woman how old she is!"

Krystal replied, "No… and it's okay, Katt. I am 23 years old,"

"26," said Fox.

"27," said Falco.

"25," said Katt.

"23," said both Miyu and Fay.

"26," Slippy added.

"73," Peppy finally said.

Krystal was taken aback by what their responses were, "Why did you all tell me your ages?"

Falco answered for everybody, "Well, we ARE a team, right?"

He was muffled by the group hug that ensued, but for once, he didn't mind.

Katt pulled back first and inquired, "You said we all were a team, but what about me?" She said this in a small voice. Fox turned to her, and asked, "Do you want to join the Star Fox team, Katt?"

She was taken aback by how suddenly he asked her. It was too much all at once, and she ran to her room, telling herself, "I CAN'T join a team, I don't want to lose Star Fox like them…". She was talking about the Hot Rodders, the team she and Falco were on before he joined Star Fox.

As she came up to her room, she found that she didn't have the card key.

" _Just great, running off into your room to find you don't have the key. I don't want to go back there, I don't know how to face everyone…_ "

Back in the lobby, everyone was dumbfounded by Katt's actions.

Falco apologized to the team, "Sorry about Katt… I don't know what's gotten into her today…". As he rose from his chair, he was pulled back by Krystal.

She informed everybody, "She was scared to lose us like she did the Hot Rodders, was it? Falco, I think you need to talk to her, tell her that we're Star Fox!"

Fox added, "And tell her that we would love to have her join Star Fox, and especially you," he said the last part in a grin.

The blue bird nodded in turn, "Thanks guys, I'll make sure she understands," and with that, he turned to go to his and Katt's room.

After about a minute wondering what to do next, Katt squeaked when Falco ruffled her hair from behind.

"Hey, Katt," but Katt didn't want to look him in the eyes, so he tried harder, "Hey babe… I understand that you don't want to lose us, but c'mon! You helped us defeat Andross so long ago, and we're only getting better! Plus, with Miyu and Fay, the team's going to be stronger than ever, and with you, we'll be able to do ANY mission!"

Katy reluctantly turned toward him, and whimpered, "Really?"

"Really," as Falco opened the door with his card, he picked Katt up and brought her in, plopping her on the couch. He then sat next to her, and let her wrap around him.

Seeing as the time was right, he asked, "So what happened to them, the Hot Rodders?"

Katt sniffed, and started to break down, "A-after you defeated Andross, I went back to the Hot Rodders, and I started to help them with some missions, like you. The Cornerian military asked us to find and capture the remainder of Andross's forces, and we came to find out Oikonny was leading them…" Katt couldn't continue, and sobbed.

Falco rubbed her back, consoled her, and gently asked her, "What happened?"

Katt recounted the horrible events:

 **Kool and Katt are in their respective ships, having a chat on the comm-link.**

" **Kool, have you found any information on anything about where Oikonny might have gone?" asked Katt.**

" **Sort of…" the blue furred feline reluctantly replied, "The soldiers on the comm-link we intercepted were discussing Oikonny to start his rebellion at the planet of Fortuna, because of the forests,"**

" **That might be smart, but they might be lying,"**

" **Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Kool confirmed.**

 **Katt sighed, and offered, "I could go scout there while you guys can search somewhere else,"**

 **Kool's ears perked up, then wilted, "Yeah, but if you find them and get caught, who will be there to help you?"**

 **Just as Kool predicted, Katt said, "I believe in myself, but I can't take you, you are needed as the leader of this group… maybe Mouser or Kroc,"**

" **Yeah, I'll have Mouser go with you. He's more skilled at flying than Kroc, and he has a keen eye,"**

 **Katt smiled at him, "Yes, sir"**

 **As the comm-link ended, Kool opened another one, this time with Mouser.**

 **Mouser opened it, and started, "What's the plan, Kool?"**

 **Kool told him, "You're going with Katt to Fortuna, to scout if Oikonny's forces are building something there,"**

" **Why not you?"**

" **She refused, saying that the leader should be a bit more conservative," Kool said, a hint of sadness tinting his voice.**

" **Someone sounds a bit sad, what did you hope would happen?" Mouser inquired.**

" **That we would go together, and I would confess my feelings…" Kool breathed.**

 **Mouser looked at him in bewilderment, but said calmly, "You know how Falco is going to be when he hears this,"**

" **I know, but she's been lonely, and I want to let her know at least that…" Kool reasoned.**

" **Well, either way, I'm going with Katt to scout Fortuna for Oikonny's forces, right?"**

" **Yep," the blue feline confirmed.**

" **Alright, Mouser out," and with that, Mouser cut the comm-link.**

 **A few hours later…**

 **Katt was gliding over the treetops, in her Cat's Paw, with Mouser in his Eswing just behind and above her. They were scanning the trees for any signs of a base.**

 **Mouser started, "So Katt, how was it with the Star Fox team?"**

" **Good,"**

" **Did you see Falco?"**

" **Yeah, he was really happy to see me, he almost gave away our relationship to Fox,"**

" **Wait, they don't know yet?" Mouser was amused at this fact.**

" **Nope," she confirmed**

" **Hah… well, it's good to have you back, even for a missi…"**

 **As he ended his comment, Mouser's Eswing was struck by laser fire on the ground, within the trees.**

" **Hidden guns?!" Katt exclaimed, "Mouser, are you okay?!"**

" **Yeah, just a burn on my left wing," he analyzed.**

" **Alright, let's shoot them down!" Katt proclaimed, a hint of excitement in her tone.**

 **And with that, they shot in the general direction of the gun, and saw a satisfying explosion coming from the trees.**

" **Nice!" Mouser complimented, "Now, let's call Kool on our find!"**

" **I got that,". Katt opened up her comm-link to Kool, who was monitoring the other planets' activities. "Kool, we found a hidden gun here on Fortuna, you might want to come here to see for yourself,"**

 **Kool smiled, and replied, "I knew you could do it!" He then turned to somewhere off screen, and you could hear him ordering Kroc, "Kroc, full speed to Fortuna!"**

" **Okay," a gruff voice answered.**

 **Kool turned back to Katt, and informed her, "We'll be there in 10 minutes,"**

" **Roger that, sir,"**

 **After they cut off, Katt asked Mouser, "It is me, or is Kool acting a bit… different now?"**

 **Mouser shrugged, "Beats me. Now, you said they were going to be here in 10?"**

" **Yep"**

" **Okay, let's keep on searching the area, see if there are any more clues as to where this base is,"**

 **After 10 minutes of searching, they only found another gun which had also shot at Mouser, and hit his left wing again.**

" **Damn guns getting my left wing! It's almost as if it's a target from the one before," as he spied the wing, it seemed true, it had struck the same place it had before.**

" **Forget it, those idiots probably can't shoot, minds think alike," Katt assured him, "Here are Kool and Kroc now!"**

 **As two other Eswings descended, a team comm-link opened up.**

" **So, any new reports?" Kool asked.**

" **Yes, another gun, but we were able to destroy it," Mouser informed him.**

" **Okay, that must mean there is a base around here, seeing there are two guns guarding a jungle," Kool deduced.**

 **As they searched the forest some more, Kroc came across a tunnel in a hill.**

" **Kool, I think I found something,"**

" **What is it?"**

" **A tunnel going into a hill… it looks very suspicious,"**

 **As the team collected at the mouth of the tunnel, a soldier peeked out, saw the fighter ships, and bolted back in. Mouser saw the soldier, and tried to shoot at him, but missed.**

 **Mouser cursed, "Damn! Almost got him! We gotta get out of here, they're probably going to get reinforcements!"**

 **And with that, they got out of there, and scanned the area for any potential enemies. Then, a few moments later, a squadron of about 15 fighters appeared from the tunnel, and started shooting at the Hot Rodders. They answered back, until the squadron was defeated. Then, a fighter with maybe 50 fighters behind it appeared out of the tunnel. The lead ship held Oikonny in its cockpit.**

 **An interruption comm-link beheld Oikonny, in his high pitched voice, telling the Rodders, "You may have found our base, but you will not get out alive!"**

 **And with the final statement, they charged.**

 **They had beaten about 12 to 15 fighters before an unfortunate Kroc was shot down.**

 **Kool yowled in rage, and fought harder, killing a few in some seconds, but it was not enough to make a big enough difference in the fight, and he found that they had to retreat.**

" **What about Kroc?" An out of character panicked Mouser exclaimed.**

 **All of them sadly knew the answer, as they saw Kroc's shield meter on his Eswing go down to zero within a few seconds.**

 **As they retreated into the atmosphere of Fortuna, the ships on the planet surface were noticeably not giving chase. The reason was immediately evident.**

" **Goddamn bastards shooting my ship and killing Kroc!" Mouser swore as his left wings was hit yet another third time, this time by a squadron on top of them, sandwiching them to their death.**

 **As they valiantly fought, it was obvious that they were going to die.**

 **Katt thought to herself, "** _ **Is this the end? I can't see Falco again? The Hot Rodders are dead? Katt Monroe, bounty hunter, dead by the hands of a shit ass ape?**_ "

 **As she wondered this, Mouser lost control of his ship, the wings too damaged to hold him up in the air.**

 **Kool roared, "Mouser!", but the mouse had other words to say to his leader before he crashed into the jungle below.**

 **Mouser chucked, said to his leader, not as a leader, but a friend, "If any time is right to tell her, it'll be now… see ya Kool, Katt," and his communication was cut off as his Eswing vainly tried to gain control of itself.**

 **Now it was Kool and Katt.**

 **Kool looked at the comm-link, and said, "Yeah, he's right. I do have something to tell you, Katt,"**

 **She feared the worst, but it was not.**

" **Katt… I- I like you, ever since you came to the team with Falco, but you were already in a relationship with him, I could not ruin that,"**

 **Katt only looked on with disbelief, this is why he had acted that way earlier today.**

 **He continued, "I wanted to tell you in a better situation than this, but this may be our last moments…"**

 **Katt responded as she blew up an enemy fighter, she was focused on the conversation, "Kool…"**

 **He had shed a tear, but he wiped it away, and smiled with all his might, "No, not our last moments, MY last moments. I love you Katt, and I hope that this will make up for it,"**

 **And he shot off towards the bulk of the squadron, which had built up to a few hundred.**

 **Katt was confused at his actions, "Kool?!"**

 **His last words were, "I'm going to blow up these c*nts with my smart bombs, making a way through their lines. I want you to escape through there, okay? Go to Star Fox, to Falco. I love you, and nothing would make me happier than seeing you happy. So do me a favor, and love Falco for his, yours, and my sake?"**

 **And with that, he zoomed toward the squadron, yelling, "KOOL'S COMING TO FUCK YOUR GODDAMN DAY UP!" Barrel rolling through the first line of fire, he sent his smart bombs off, leaving a gaping hope in the squadron, except a pink fighter flying through it, with a devastated Katt off into space…**

 **After she escaped, she informed the Cornerian Defence Base about what had happened, and the location of Oikonny's base.**

 **General Pepper was thankful for her service, and was pitying about the fate of her companions. He sent a squadron of a few hundred to Fortuna, but only a few stragglers were present, and they were taken down with ease.**

 **Katt was devastated at this result.**

" **Is this what my comrades died for? To kill a few stragglers?!"**

 **Pepper assured her, "Their deaths were not in vain, they supported a cause that will banish evil from the Lylat System! Now go rest, you have been through a lot, and a very nice bonus is waiting for your compensation,"**

 **Katt went back to her hotel in shame, and was surprised when her account showed eight digits of balance. It would be enough to last her lifetime and more, but she was not satisfied. She would be when Oikonny was dead. She decided to meet Falco, but the Aparoid Wars was going to happen in a month, and she wouldn't be able to after that, bringing her to today.**

Falco was saddened by the news he heard, but he kept his composure. "Why did you not come earlier and tell me? We could have taken that squadron down..." and found himself saying the wrong thing.

Katt pulled back, and yelled, "That's the point! I thought that the Hot Rodders were unstoppable, able to accomplish every mission, but they're gone now, and now someone who only joined them for a mission lives, do you think that's how I want to lose my friends?!"

A voice from the other room said, clearly annoyed, "Argue somewhere else, now, would ya?!"

Falco ignored the voice, and argued, "Did you really think I enjoyed leaving a team I led, and going into a new team, where you are seen as the leader of a gang? I wanted to make the Lylat System a better place, for everyone, and especially you…"

There was a banging on their door. An exasperated Falco opened the door, and expected the neighbor complaining about their argument, but to find Fox and Krystal.

"Krystal felt something was wrong, so she came to help," Fox explained.

Falco smirked at the vulpine, "Thanks for the offer, but I got this under control. Just wait just in here, ok?" And he left the door open to let Krystal and Fox inside, but not into the main room, where a calmer Katt was waiting for Falco's return.

Katt asked, "Who was it?"

"Some pizza delivery guy who didn't know his way around the hotel. I offered to take the pizza off his hands, but he refused. Who orders pizza in the morning anyways?"

Katt sighed, "Yeah… listen Falco, I really love you that I would protect a galaxy for you, so… I've made my choice. I'll join Star Fox,"

Falco facepalmed as a "Yeah!" and a high-five came from the entrance.

Katt looked there suspiciously, and snaked over there and caught a happy Fox in a headlock.

Fox wasn't fazed, and shrugged her off, his strength overtook Katt's grip. "We're really happy that you are going to join Star Fox! Right Krystal?"

"Right!" Krystal nodded, "Don't worry, we'll make sure that the Lylat system is clean of evil! You really can count on us!"

Falco looked at her with cute chick eyes, like puppy dog eyes, but for avians.

"I've already made my choice, haven't I?"

Falco smiled, and said, "Yes, you have sweetheart,"

They hugged, and smiled to each other. " _Now to work together to get another pair on the team… *wink-wink*_ "

Krystal blushed at this comment, and told them, "Let's go, everyone is waiting for us in the lobby,"

Before they could leave, Katt remembered something, "Right, what about that pizza delivery guy?"

Fox turned around questioningly, "Pizza?"

Krystal elaborated, "Fox here has not had any breakfast, and he's starving,"

Falco then let them back in, commenting, "Foxy boy here is not his best when he's starving,"

Fox looked at him approvingly, "And Falco is the same without Katt,"

This got him a punch from the blue bird, but playfully.

As Fox scarfed down the remainder of Falco and Katt's breakfast, the said couple were in conversation with Krystal in the main room.

"You like Fox, right Krystal?" Falco asked her.

"Yes…" was the reply from the cautious vixen.

"Like… a lot?" Katt added.

"Yes…" was the answer once again.

"Why don't you confess to him at the park today? It'll be the perfect time!" Falco reasoned.

Krystal was a bit reluctant, "But… I need Fox to ask me out. I know he likes me, the shower incident was more than enough. I want him to build up the courage to actually ask me,"

Katt told her, "I asked Falco out first, though,"

Krystal gave it some thought, and was about to respond when she was cut off by a full Fox looking content.

"I'm ready to rock and roll, team!" Fox declared.

This got a few giggles out of Krystal, and Fox smiled to himself, " _I'm going to tell her tonight,_ "

Falco and Katt watched this scene unfold approvingly.

"Well!" Falco finally concluded, "Let's go down there and have some fun!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fox was absolutely jubilant at the events that occurred within the last 24 hours, save for the shower incident. (He secretly liked that). Striding into the lobby, he announced, "We have a new member of Star Fox! With her help, I know that Star Fox 2 is a strong team!" He was taken aback by his own comment, "Did I just call us Star Fox 2?"

Krystal rolled her eyes, and replied, "Yes, Fox, you really did, but I don't mind"

Everyone agreed.

Fay gushed, "Miyu! We're part of Star Fox 2! Isn't that so cool?!"

Miyu concurred, "Yes, almost as if there was a game just for this team, save a pink cat!"

Everyone looked at her, and she protested, "Hey, we have to break the fourth wall once in a while!"

There was laughter in the lobby.

Laughing was a red fox. He had the same markings as Fox, but a darker shade of red.

Fox walked up to him, and asked, "Who are you?"

The fox replied, "Sorry to introduce myself so rudely, I am Fire, as the writer of this story. Miyu commenting about the fourth wall allowed me to, say… appear here. I can answer any appropriate question you throw at me,"

Fox asked, "Will there be action soon?"

Fire smirked, and replied, "Yes, soon. It won't be narrated in this story, it's rated T, not M like the action says so,"

Fox's tail drooped, and replied, "Oh,"

The red vulpine got the idea Fox didn't get what KIND of action Fire was talking about.

"Nevermind, there will be action in later chapters," Fire exasperated.

Fox's mood picked up, and he cheered, "Nice! Arwings here we come!"

Now Fire knew what Fox meant.

Falco picked up a piece of paper, and read aloud, "They comforted each other in their embrace, they felt as if they could stay there for eons, and their occasional kisses were…" before he got slapped several times by an invisible hand, which carried the paper to a blushing Fire.

"Not yet," Fire scolded.

"Jeez, could've just asked it back," Falco complained.

"Knowing you, you wouldn't," Fire shot back. He continued, "I have power over your actions, and could make your life miserable,"

Falco paled at his facts.

Fire continued, "But I won't. I'm not a cruel pers- er- fox, and I guess it was my mistake, like Fox was,"

"Oooh! Sick burn!," Falco remarked.

Fire's reply was, "Same goes for you Falco,"

Everyone laughed, hard. Both the ace pilots were putting their arms around each other, unable to stand up against the burns they received.

Fay asked, "Why I don't have many lines? You're scared I'm going to mess up?"

Fire didn't have any excuse for that, yet denied that.

He just told her, "You and Miyu will play an important role later on in the story, I promise you,"

Fay responded with a, "Yay!"

Slippy asked Fire, "What's a fourth wall? I thought all rooms had four walls?"

Fire facepalmed at Slippy's misunderstanding of the "fourth wall".

Fire concluded, "I'm just going to ignore that. Anyway… I think it is time for me to go. I do hope you enjoy life to the fullest, Star Fox 2 team,"

And with that, he vanished, as if he weren't there. The surrounding animals had not moved, and resumed their activities, oblivious to what just unfolded. Also, Star Fox's memories were erased, and had no idea on what happened, thankfully.

—

After Fire vanished, the Star Fox team resumed their conversation about going to the amusement park.

"Slippy and I would want to stay here at the hotel, I would imagine," Peppy input.

"Yeah, I'm beat!" Slippy added.

"Okay, we'll wait here while Rocky and Bill get here, let's hang out until then," said Fox, unwrapping his arm from Falco to whip out his comm-link, ready to call Rocky and Bill. As Fox was going to turn around, Peppy remembered something.

"Fox! There's a fireworks show at 7:30 tonight, so if you're planning on staying there until 8:30 tonight, I wouldn't suggest going now!"

"Okay!" Was Fox's reply. He continued, "We'll leave at 2:30. We can walk there until 3, if I'm correct,"

"Yep," Slippy punched in the numbers, and came out with a time to walk there. "You'll be there in just about 30 minutes, and Peppy and I will go later to watch the fireworks show, alright?"

"Sure thing, Slip," Fox also approved.

Falco butt in, informing the team, "It's 1:45, so we can wait for Rocky and Bill for 45 minutes,"

"Actually, half an hour, they'll be here at 2:15," Fox quickly came back.

Sounding everyone's thoughts, Fay observed, "That was pretty quick,"

"Yeah," Fox said. "They said they were already contacted by Miyu,". As Fox looked at the lynx, he could swear that she was blushing.

"Well, meet here at 2:10 to be ready to go!" Krystal commanded.

"Right!" Everyone but Slippy and Peppy replied with excitement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in their room, Fox and Krystal were discussing what they were going to do at the amusement park.

"It's great, Krystal. There are rides there, and you can get so many prizes at the carnival games they have there!" Fox described.

Krystal was excited as a little kid on their first time there.

"Hah, I bet I could get more prizes than Falco at the shooting game!" Fox boasted.

Krystal pulled at his shirt, and he looked over, "Hm? What is it Krystal?"

She managed to suppress a blush as Fox touched her hands, which were holding a pair of aviators.

He asked curiously, "What are these for?"

She answered, "For you, when we go out in public. I know how you love your fans, but back in Charming Charmelita, I saw how they were all over you,"

Fox looked at them in wonder, "When did you get these?"

Krystal looked away, and told him, "This morning,"

Fox looked at her with disbelief, " _She had woken up early to get me these? What did I do to get them? They must have been at least 200 credits…_ "

Krystal endearingly looked at him, happy that he was not concerned about the glasses, but Krystal herself.

"Fox, you did so much for me, I thought that this would help make you happy,"

"It does!" Fox replied, putting them on. Now Peppy could say that Fox REALLY was like his father. Fox looked at Krystal, and she could still see his piercing green eyes, full with confidence but a welcoming aura. Her observing was cut short as Fox pulled her in for a hug. She didn't expect this, and blushed madly.

Krystal thought, " _We hugged last night, but it felt different than this one, the last one was comforting, this one, protective and thankful, and… and… I can't describe how it feels, I feel so warm inside!_ "

Fox quickly pulled back, but his mind was screaming to stay longer.

He stammered, "U-um… sorry about that. I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am to you, this means so much to me,"

Krystal smiled back, and she simply replied, "Me too,"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In Slippy and Peppy's room, they were discussing events that sort of happened in Fox and Krystal's room.

"It's nice to know that Fox is finding more confidence around women," Slippy commented, "I remember when he couldn't talk to girls back at the Academy!"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything when James first met Vixy, Fox's mother. He was even worse than Fox!" Peppy insisted. "I remember when they first met on Papetoon, at the bar. James couldn't even order his own drink!" he laughed.

They sat in silence, reminiscing the love in the air.

"I hope that they actually get together, they look really good as a couple," Slippy remarked.

"Who? Fox and Krystal?"

"Yeah,"

"Falco talked with me before coming back up here, and it seems that Krystal of all people is making the first move, tonight, during the firework show," Peppy brought up.

Slippy snorted, "Knowing Fox, he'll ask first, he's been dying to since they got to know each other a little bit,"

Peppy found himself commenting, "I don't need no kits running around the Great Fox!" He remembered when Fox was a toddler, running through the corridors of the Great Fox.

Sloppy laughed, and argued, "If anyone's having a baby soon, that's Falco and Katt. But that will be a few years… hopefully,"

Slippy loved to talk with people, especially with Peppy, who he felt on another understanding with.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In Falco and Katt's room, the two are on the couch, cuddling each other.

Falco started to talk first, "I hope that Krystal is going to follow through with what she said,"

Katt agreed, and snuggled closer to Falco.

The bird chucked, and told her, "It's not winter yet, my down isn't growing in,"

He stiffened as he realized that Katt was massaging his massive pecs. (Being a bird does have its perks!)

"Katt, as much as I like to let you do what you want to do, this is not the time…"

Katt looked at him in disappointment, "You're no fun, you know that?"

Falco took it seriously, and much to Katt's surprise, he rolled her over so that he was looking her straight in the face.

He sternly replied, "Fun is fun when everyone enjoys it, but not when only you want it,"

Katt pouted, and Falco threatened her, "Maybe I should go to Kitt…"

"Noooooo Falco, you're staying with me,"

His face changed to a playful smile, "I wouldn't leave a perfect little pink cat all alone, now, can I?"

Katt, realizing the pattern, sighed and conceded that she would stop.

She started on the topic of Fox and Krystal again, "I just want them to be happy, you know? Fox is really what Krystal needs, and wants,"

"Yeah,"

She realized she hadn't told the Star Fox team what important information she was forgetting to tell them.

She told Falco, "Star Wolf is breaking apart, something about Panther and Wolf getting in an argument about a woman. Wolf of all people too. I thought he was a tough guy, a stoic guy, I guess I was wrong,"

Falco thought about it, and concluded, "Maybe Wolf is done with his work as a mercenary? Either that, or this woman has to be hot,"

Katt sighed, and continued, " I heard that Wolf is settling in Corneria for a little bit, doing jobs for the Cornerian Army, partly to clean up any misunderstanding that he didn't work for Andross for free, but as a paid mercenary,"

Falco tensed, "You still don't know what he's going to be up to…"

Katt looked down, and said, "You're right to be cautious, but I feel that he could really be a changed man,"

Falco could only agree, "I hope so too, Katt…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fay and Miyu were preparing for their trip to the park, and gossiping the same thing going around the Star Fox team all day, Fox and Krystal.

"Fay, what do you think about Fox and Krystal getting together?" Miyu asked.

"I think they look so cute together! Especially when they have the fire and ice thing going too!" Fay blew up.

"Y'know? I never thought of that that way, that Fox was firey, dangerous but warm, strong, and constant when he knows what he wants. Krystal, calm, cool, collected, and knows what people want," Miyu analyzed.

Fay rolled her eyes, and retorted, "Being thoughtful has nothing to do with ice,"

Miyu, fixing up Fay's bow, accepted the fact that she did not think it through enough, "She's blue…?"

Fay then found the answer, "She's water! She still is cool and calm, and she bends to what is needed!"

Miyu praises her companion, "That's why Fay's a genius sometimes!"

There is a long pause, and Miyu breaks out, "You know why I want to go to the amusement park, right?"

Fay's next guess threw Miyu's compliment out the window, "To have fun…?"

Miyu thought, "Well, yes… but I might have feelings for Rocky,"

Fay gasped, "Did- did you just say ROCKY?! Like, my mentor Rocky?!"

The white spaniel could not believe what her comrade just confessed.

"Yeah…" said Miyu, scratching the back of her head.

She continued, "I never really got to know him, and I want to get to know him. He might help me deal with Fox sometimes… I dunno, I'm starting to think things from the top of my head now,"

Fay squealed, "Are you kidding?! My strong mentor dating my strong best friend? That sounds a bit weird when you say it out loud, but he's actually only a few years older than us!"

Miyu looked at Fay with surprise, "You aren't mad?"

Fay scoffed, "Pft, of course not! I would support my friend any day of the week! Not Fridays though, that's a Fay day,"

"You aren't doing that anymore, are you?"

Miyu remembered Fay days, when Fay would try something new. She was running out of ideas, so she began doing extremes, such as drinking too much alcohol. That day ended badly.

"No… but it doesn't mean I can't start again!"

"Jeez, Fay. Watch you fucking someone next,"

Miyu, you better start watching your words.

"Oh, shoot! We're going to be late if we loaf around any longer!" Fay, looking at her watch, remarked.

"Alright, let's go girl!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At 2:11, everyone going to the amusement park was in the lobby. The last ones were Fay and Miyu, who received a complaint from Falco, "That took ya long enough,"

When they waited long enough, a taxi drove in front of the hotel, and dropped off a familiar husky and bulldog.

"Bill! Rocky!" Fox and Falco greeted them.

"Fox! Falco!" Bill and Rocky greeted them back.

The women watched with amused eyes the amount of bro-hugs that were given, secret handshakes being shook, and the punch in the shoulders when they found out Falco had been able to convince Katt to join Star Fox 2.

"Star Fox 2, huh? Sounds real cool," Bill remarked.

"Yep," Fox confirmed. "Just popped into my head,"

"Simple, but tells you everything," Rocky said with a shake of his head.

"Well, are you guys ready to go?" Falco asked them.

"Nah, we gotta meet our graduates in training right now," Rocky refused. "You guys can go to the front and wait there, we won't take long. We just need to tell them something,"

His request was acknowledged until it was him, Bill, Fay, and Miyu.

Bill asked, "How's Star Fox 2 coming along?"

"Great!" Fay answered.

Bill continued reluctantly, "Well, we have a mission for you once we exit the park, we need you to find an assassin sent to kill Katt Monroe, an assassin from Andross's forces. We know that this is supposed to be a relax day, but we need your help. The assassin is a green lizard, and that's all we know. He's a sniper, so he'll be a bit far off from the entrance. I hope this isn't too much trouble…"

Miyu cracked her knuckles, "I'll be ready to get that bitch before he knows what's coming to him,"

Rocky smiled, "That's a tough Miyu you raised there, Bill,"

Miyu blushed from the compliment, but not enough for the husky to see.

"Well, What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Fay exclaimed.

And off they went from the front of the hotel, off to the amusement park.

 _ **As a little footnote, I have realized that longer chapters= longer waits, and more stress for me. So, I will keep it to ~5,000-7,000. 10,000 seemed a bit overwhelming to me. But, that was an aspiration I still hope to achieve from time to time!**_

 _ **Looking forward: Star Fox 2's bonds will only become stronger, can they overcome a new adversary? What will happen next?"**_

 _ **(For Wolf lovers) Wolf will appear in chapters after the next chapter, Confessions.**_

 _ **I don't know about Fire's (me) little segments. If you hate them, fine, they'll go out the window. If you like them, I'll keep them in. Just saying, I find the narrator being present in the story is funny, as is the same as talking in third person like Panther.**_

 _ **Sorry if my blabbing is annoying, I can't stop right now.**_

 _ **Katt: "Yes, please. Now tell me I won't die in this next chapter,"**_

 _ **Uhhh…**_

 _ ***Katt slaps me hard, and stomps away***_

 _ **Ouch…?**_

 _ **Well, that's… really all I have to say for right now.**_

 _ **Stay foxy, y'all**_

 _ **-FireyFox0526**_


	3. Chapter 2: Confessions

The spring wind rippled through Fox's semi-thick winter fur as he relished the moment. The sun was bright, and the temperature was a warm moderate. He was walking down the sidewalk, wearing comfortable clothes, the sunglasses Krystal gave him, and he was walking with his friends to the amusement park.

" _I wish that these moments would last longer_ " he thought.

The day was perfect, one to really uncoil and relax in.

After some time of walking, Fay couldn't help but complain, "How much longer until we get there?"

Bill looked at his watch, and replied, "We walked for 10 minutes, we should be getting there in 5."

Falco looked ahead, and cresting a hill was none other than the Arwing ride. He informed Fox, "Fox, there it is! The ride you've been wanting to go on!"

Fox eyed the ride in disappointment, "It doesn't seem to go as fast as I hoped it would."

Miyu reminded him, "Well, the G-Diffusers on your guy's Arwing allow you to go much faster than normal."

"Ah, you are right." Fox admitted.

Rocky suddenly slapped him in the back, catching him by surprise..

"Fox here's just too excited to get to the amusement park."

Fox grinned, and confirmed Rocky's guess, "Hell yeah! We gotta have fun as a team sometimes!"

Falco leaned over to whisper teasingly to Katt, "At least someone gets fun right."

She answered with a punch on the chest.

As the team's excitement grew as they got closer, the ticket cashier at the booth looked at them curiously. He was a young coyote, and his eyes bulged out of his head when he recognized the Star Fox team.

"H-hello, how may I help you?" the wild dog stammered.

Fox looked at him in a warm smile, "We would like to have premium tickets for…" he counted the team, "eight."

The lupine nodded, and started to punch the numbers in the register.

"A-are you guys really… Star Fox?" the coyote, now finished with his task, asked.

Fox tried to think of something quick, and leaned in close, where he spoke in a whisper, "I don't want to let anyone else know who we are, so I hope an autograph is enough." and Fox whipped out a Sharpie, and signed the closest thing he could see as acceptable, a park shirt on sale.

"We'll pay for that, too. Just keep quiet, 'kay?" Fox continued after he signed it, handing it to the coyote, whose mouth was agape.

"O-okay Fox McCloud, I promise."

"Good." and with a smile, he receded and asked him, "How much is it total?"

After Fox paid, he thanked the wild dog, and put one on, a golden colored bracelet. He then proceeded to hand them out, personally putting on Krystal's.

She giggled, "What a gentleman,"

Fox smiled at her, liking his progress so far.

The team then moved out of the way, making their way toward the center.

Walking through the middle of the park, the team came to a stop. Rocky studied the golden colored garments they received.

"For eight passes, 400 credits are actually pretty cheap. I remember they were like, 80 credits each." the husky remarked.

Fox laughed, "You never read the fine print, Rocky. It was a spring sale for parties of five or more. We got lucky today."

"So! We could split up and go to what we want and meet back here later." Bill suggested.

"Hm… I want to stay as a group." Miyu protested.

"Well, what do we have in mind?" Katt asked.

"Erm… we could go to the carnival games first…" the lynx mused.

"No way!" Fox and Falco boasted, "We would not be able to carry all the prizes that we'll get!"

Fay's stomach grumbled, and the next action was clear.

"To the concession stands first!" Bill commanded, and they marched over to the concessions. Little did they know, this decision would be a bad one.

At the concessions, they were able to get food without anyone batting an eye.

Fox got himself a funnel cake, Krystal a pretzel, Katt, Fay and Miyu both ordering slices of pizza, and Falco, Rocky and Bill getting burgers.

Falco's eyes widened in surprise as Katt shoved a good three quarters on the hot dog, before biting it and managing to get it down.

"It seems that Falco is impressed by what he's seeing," Katt teased. Falco tried to change the subject because he was panicking.

"Yo Fox! Why aren't you eating a burger? It's a man's food, and what did you get? A bunch of fried batter with powder on it."

Fox grumbled, "It's good, I like it."

Bill added, "It's okay,"

Falco then puffed, "What's so good about it?"

With a protest from Fox, he ripped a piece of the cake, and ate it. Needless to say, Falco was wrong, and his wallet came out of his pocket.

"Hey! Falco! If you're getting one, you're giving me some!" Fox complained.

"Hell nah!" Falco refused, "... Okay, only as much as I took from you," as Katt glared at him.

As Falco walked to the concession stand, Krystal scooted up to Fox, eyeing the cake with interest.

"If the cake is as good as Falco says, may I try some, Fox? I'll give you some of my pretzel." Krystal offered.

"Sure!"

They ripped a piece off their respective treats, and with a slight blush, they fed the other.

Fox has had many soft pretzels, but this one piece in particular tasted much better.

"Mmmmm… really sweet." Krystal, with her eyes closed, moaned. Everyone snickered at Fox's fur glowing in embarrassment.

Falco came back with his own cake, and admitted to Fox, "I'm sorry. I was wrong, this cake is the bomb!"

Pedestrians around him screamed, and ran away. "What? Why are they running away?"

Within a few moments, security guards came to take Falco away.

One pointed a stunner at Falco, and ordered, "Put the bomb down!"

Falco was having none of it, "What bomb? This? But it tastes awesome! You can't take it from me!"

Fox narrowed his eyes in disappointment, "Falco, they don't know that's just a cake."

"Oh."

Fox didn't want to, but he took off his sunglasses, showing the guards just who they were dealing with.

"Aren't you Star Fox?" One of the guards asked.

Fox rolled his eyes, "It's Fox McCloud, Star Fox is my team, not my name. Anyway, sorry for Falco's metaphors… he gets carried away sometimes."

The guards lowered their guns, understandably cautious.

"Just make sure you don't make any more foolish moves." warned the lead guard

Fox nodded, "We won't. Also, please don't tell the citizens we are here, we don't want them to know that we're here."

The guard looked at him curiously, he couldn't dream of why he wouldn't want attention, but he accepted his favor, "You heard Fox, don't let information about his presence go out to the public."

"Yessir!"

And with that, they marched off to tell the amusement park staff the park is safe.

"I guess I should be thankful." Falco famously said.

Katt took a chunk of his cake, and replied, "Yes, you should dum-dum."

Fox took a piece, a little bigger than what Falco took from him earlier, "And this is extra for saving your feathery ass being stunned, although seeing that would have been funny as well,"

Falco had just more than half his cake left, and nearly cried.

"Hey," Fox started, "Let's make a deal. At 5, we try as many games as possible, and the loser buys the winner a funnel cake."

At this, Falco perked up, and shook his hand, "Deal."

Rocky and Bill shook their heads.

Their graduated apprentices asked, "What's the matter?"

Bill sighed, "The last time they did something like this, they quite literally cleaned the whole carnival from it's prizes. We got kicked out."

Rocky told Fox and Falco, "Tops fifteen games! No more!"

"Fine." they agreed, "At least there won't be a truck like last time."

Bill explained it to the amazed quartet of females, "Yeah… they won so many prizes that a truck had to come to pick it up. We had most of the prizes donated to orphanages and sanctuary's all over Corneria. Felt heroic."

"What about the rest of them?" Fay asked.

"We snuck them in the Cornerian demo cannon, so when it shot for our class, except for a laser, it shot a stream of stuffed animals into space." Bill said the last one in a chuckle.

"Aaand why are you laughing?" Miyu questioned.

"We got reports of stuffed animals falling from the sky on Venom a few months ago. I guess they finally got to their destination, five years later." Rocky told them, trying not to howl in laughter.

"Oh, I see." Fay said with a giggle.

After eating their meals they made their way towards the rides. They observed their options on the big map.

"The _Arwing's Flight_ ride seems to be very popular." Miyu remarked.

"Or we could go on the _Brave Bird._ " Falco offered. He liked rides about birds and their flying skills. "Says here, _inspired by the Pokemon move, a fast, powerful, and dangerous technique…_ What's Pokemon?"

"Beats me." Fox shrugged.

" _The Black Hole_ sounds like a cool ride." Bill pitched in.

"Yeah, after we ate? No thanks." Rocky refused. "Also, I'm still sorta weak, so I can't go on extreme rides."

"Then how about the wittle twain wide?"

"Shut up." Rocky grabbed Bill's arm, and twisted it behind the bulldog's back.

Bill yelped in pain, and danced around, trying to get his arm out of the strong-gripped husky. Finally, he gave in, "I give! I give!"

Rocky grinned, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry! I give!"

"Alright." And with that, Rocky let go of Bill's arm.

Rubbing his arm, Bill muttered, "Goddamn sonuva bitch."

Rocky, hearing this, lunged toward Bill, making him leap back in fear.

"Good to see that I'm still stronger, even when I'm hurt."

Bill only grunted about Rocky having genetically stronger and bigger muscles, but nobody cared. They were busy looking at their other choices.

"Ooh! How about _Venom: Andross's End_?" Miyu cried.

"No way, it didn't even recount the events of his death. There's just an "explosion" behind you while they had a voice actor acting Andross in a cringey voice. No, unless you want to get disappointed." Fox informed her.

Her large ears drooped, "Ha, yeah. I got the hero of Lylat who's defeated him twice, and experienced it firsthand."

Rocky grinned, "But, we may as well go as we don't know what to do. We don't have these tickets for nothing! Let's go!"

And the team made their way to the ride.

Fox was right, the _Venom_ ride as more disappointing than ever.

"The Andross voice actor seemed like a girl more than a man. I don't remember Andross's voice being that high." Falco remarked.

"Um… it was a girl. They had to slow it down to get the low voice. No one else would take the job." Fox told him.

"Oh."

Falco then pulled Fox to the side, whispering in his ear, "Speaking of girls…."

"What?" Fox looked at him in confusion.

"Sooooo…. are you going to ask soon? Or…"

The aura of rolling eyes could be felt.

"Falco, yes. I will."

"Okay. Just making sure."

"Jeez, let me live my life. I don't go nosing around if you've gotten that far with Katt." Fox playfully teased the avian.

"Hey!"

"Jes kidding."

Bill called out, "Hey, guys! We're going to the _Serpent's Hunt."_

"Sounds good! Just wait a sec!" Fox called back.

He turned to finally say to Falco, "You'll see my proof that I will ask her." He said this in a smirk.

Falco narrowed his eyes at him, and answered back, "Heh, Foxy's looking a little sly here."

"Haha, yeah. Race you there?"

"Hey, I know you're faster. You just want to rub it in my face."

Fox made puppy eyes at Falco, "No I don't."

"See ya." Falco sped off, making full advantage of the situation.

Fox immediately turned the other way, cackling. The ride was this way. Everyone made a detour by accident, and Falco followed them.

" _And they say IM stupid…"_

"Fox?"

"Wha-?" Fox jumped out of his fur in fright, scaring him from his thoughts.

"K-Krystal! You scared me!"

"Oh, sorry." She giggled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to go to the bathroom and you were close by, talking with Falco. I saw him speed away afterwards, too."

"Ah, okay."

She giggled again, and he was curious to know what was making her laugh.

"Krystal? What's so funny?"

"You made a puppy eye face! Fox McCloud! I never thought I would see that!"

Pedestrians looked over at them, hearing the comment of Fox McCloud, and he had to make an excuse quickly.

"She only said I looked like him!" Fox felt weird talking in third person, but he would do practically anything appropriate to stay "hidden".

They murmured, but they turned back to their activities, allowing the duo to resume their conversation.

Fox turned to Krystal, who was able to stifle her giggles now. He wanted to ask her, but he wasn't prepared yet.

"Didn't you need to go to the bathroom?"

"Oh, yes! I'll be right back!"

And with that she bounded off to the women's restroom across them.

Fox sat on a nearby bench, closed his eyes, and let himself bathe in the sunlight. After a few minutes, a finger tapped his shoulder. It was Krystal.

"Fox? I'm ready to go."

"Ehhh… I don't want to stand up."

"Oh, come on Fox, we have to meet everyone at the ride!"

She started pulling on his hand.

"The sunlight is great, you should try it."

She pouted, and started to pull his arm, unsuccessfully pulling him up.

Fox opened an eye in amusement.

"I don't want to spend my first time at the amusement park not going on rides!" Krystal reasoned.

"Fine."

He stood up, and he started off towards the rides, beckoning Krystal to follow him. "It's this way."

Krystal thought to herself, " _This is already a great day! I only hope it could get better."_ And she followed the vulpine to her friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _Blargh."_

Krystal regretted going on the _Black Hole,_ spinning around so fast that her eyes couldn't keep up with sight.

Now she was close to throwing up, and a concerned Fox was tending to her.

"Are you okay?"

"No…?" She weakly replied.

"Well, here. Have some water." He gave her his bottle of water, and she drank it gratefully.

"Falco's already ready to go on the _Brave Bird."_ Katt walked up to them, the bird close behind.

"We'll have to wait for the others to get off the ride." Fox pointed at the ride next to them, the _Smooth Flyer_.

"Fine by me." Falco looked at his watch. "It's only 3:15, we have tons of time."

"Alright."

While the men were talking, the women were in conversation as well.

"So, what do you like about Fox?" Katt asked Krystal, making sure the vulpine didn't hear.

"Oh, lots of things. He's adorable, thoughtful, and he's handsome."

Katt's eyebrows raised, "Adorable and handsome? Wouldn't think of those two things together."

Krystal grinned, and answered, "Well, what do you see in Falco?"

"He's really cool, and I love the way that he talks. He's… so comfortable around me. He knows what I'm capable of." She said the last part in a joking manner, but she meant it.

"Ah, here they come." Krystal looked behind Katt, the other members of Star Fox 2 walking up to the quartet.

"Wow! There were so many loop-de-loops!" Fay exclaimed.

"Ouch, yell any louder, and my ear will pop." Miyu complained, and with good reason, with her big ears.

"Fay, just be yourself… by yourself." Bill joked.

"Let my apprentice be!" Rocky put a hand on her shoulder.

Bill scoffed, "Well, MY apprentice was able to shoot you down in the sim."

"At least mine shot you down more than me."

Rocky was one-upping Bill everywhere.

"Hey, guys? Fox and I want to go, and we can't with you arguing about your apprentices. You're supposed to be models for them, right?" Falco interrupted, and they answered with a grumble of defeat.

After a relatively short line, Fox and Falco were able to show their bracelets to the _Brave Bird_ ticketer, who gave them pilot goggles to protect against the winds, waved them in, but noticed Fox's sunglasses.

"Sir?"

Fox turned around, confused as to what the ticketer had to say to him.

"You have sunglasses, and as part of our policy on this ride, no accessories other than the goggles."

Fox sighed, he should have known this was a rule for this ride, it went past Mach 1, the speed of sound.

He handed the glasses to Krystal, who was standing behind the ribbon that kept the line in a line.

Their eyes locked for a moment, until it was broken by Falco dragging Fox off into their cart.

When they got themselves fastened into their seats, they looked at what was to come. A few mountains and troughs were first, and then it went straight up, the peak a few twirls before they made their 150 meter dive bomb, straight down and then evening out just before the ground. It looked exciting.

Fox's forehead began to sweat as he heard the riders behind them whisper to each other, but he relaxed when he found out they were talking about the ride. Guess he was still paranoid about being found out at the park.

A minute later, recognizable music came out of the carts, an upbeat song. (Specifically the wild Pokemon music from the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum games).

The cart started to move, and a high pitched voice broke over the music, "Go, Staraptor!"

"Staraptor!"

Falco leaned over and joked with Fox, "I feel bad for that guy, his balls were cut off."

Fox snickered, and evolved into a full fledged laugh.

As the cart started to pick up speed, the voice commanded, "Dodge!" And the cart jerked to the right, and faced up to the heavens, dropping down a few seconds later. This went on a few more times, before the voice changed its focus.

"Now, use aerial ace!" the voice continued, as the cart picked up even more speed and went higher. Fox could start to let his voice loose.

"Now, Staraptor! Brave Bird!"

"Staraptor!"

Now, they quickly climbed into the sky, the onlookers on the ground becoming little specks, and Fox pulled his ears back in anticipation. They circled as if they were circling their prey, and they dive bombed, a deafening roar suddenly becoming silent around Fox as they broke the speed of sound.

After the ride ended, Fox's ears were ringing, and could barely hear the ticketer say, "Thank you for flying with us today! Take this badge as a commandment of your accomplishment!". In a daze, the vulpine managed to take the badge, and Falco followed with more energy.

"Thanks!" The bird then turned to Fox, "Wow! That was so cool! We went faster than the speed of sound!"

"Yeah." Fox replied, breathing heavily. His head throbbed, and he felt really dizzy. "Argh, scratch that, I'm not fine." He gripped his head in pain. He was lightheaded, and leaned against Falco for support.

"Oh, shit! Uhm… Yo, Krystal!" Falco beckoned to the cerulean fox. "Fox isn't feeling well, you know anything that might work?"

The last thing that Fox could see before he passed out was Krystal hurrying toward the duo, worry plastered on her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" _Argh, my head..._ " Fox thought as he came to his senses. He opened his eyes to find Krystal sitting beside him on a bench, a bottle of rubbing alcohol in her hand, which was under his nose. The abrasive smell tickled his nose, and he sneezed in reply.

"Bless you!" Krystal already noticed Fox had woken up, and her remedy worked perfectly. He felt much better. (You can cure lightheadedness or some headaches by smelling some rubbing alcohol, it works, I swear.)

"Where's everyone else?" Fox asked her.

"They're off doing their own thing, having fun and whatnot. If you can, Falco is still eager to take you up on your bet."

"What time is it now?"

"Only 4:43. You were passed out for about an hour."

"Oh, thanks Krystal, for staying with me for an hour." Fox genuinely meant it, and he hugged her, not disappointed by Krystal reciprocating, replying, "Oh, Fox. It's not really anything big. I am enjoying today splendidly."

" _If it meant staying with him when he's sleeping, I would do that every day!_ " She thought pleasantly to herself.

She remembered to give his sunglasses back, doing so by reaching around him and laying them on his forehead.

"Well!" Fox didn't want to break first, but he did, his thoughts quarreling with his actions. "Time to show Falco who is better at those games!"

They walked to the carnival games, where they found Falco and Katt sitting on the bench by the entrance, sipping on a cup that contained their favorite drink, _Dr Pepper_. (I now imprint an image of General Pepper in a lab coat, diagnosing your symptoms. Good luck getting THAT out.)

Katt noticed them first, and noted the closeness the two seemed to have, brushing fur, tails bumping occasionally with one another. It was almost as if they already were a couple.

"Hey guys, I'm not late am I?" Fox asked them.

"Nah, almost as if it was part of the plot, here you are!" Falco replied, breaking the fourth wall this time. Thankfully, Fire did not appear.

Katt ignored the comment, and instead quivered with excitement, "Time to break all the vendor's games!"

"Well, let's go! G' luck to ya, Falco." Fox cockily winked, before dashing off, Krystal hot on his heels.

"Jeez, guy gets light headed, fine an hour later. Gets shot at by Aparoids, just heals himself with rings. That guy is unbreakable." Falco comments, before dashing off, Katt going after her boyfriend.

The first game was a shooting game, and they opted for a few rounds. The player shot down prizes which stood on pedestals. Fox came out as the winner, winning by shooting down one more prize than Falco. All they won were little trinkets, and they were given to little children looking on with awe.

As Fox stood up from giving the last one a tiara, he teased Falco with a smile on his face, "Sorry Falco. No more tiaras for you."

Falco grumbled something about Fox needing to wear the tiara, too softly for anyone to hear.

Fox, happy about his lead, stated, "I think it's time we go to the games with big prizes."

Falco perked up, and dragged Katt away, saying, "Just wait till you see the size of those things!"

Fox smiled at Krystal and took her by the hand, "I think you'll like to try some of the games too."

He noticed his mistake and they both blushed as Fox stuttered, "S-sorry about that."

They stood in silence, until Fox spoke up again, "I have something to ask you, Krystal." He bit his lower lip, and continued, "I feel bad not asking it now, but just know I have something to discuss with you later."

He forced himself to smile again, and beckoned her with his hand towards the direction Falco and Katt ran off to.

As Krystal jogged alongside Fox, she had thoughts swirling in her mind, " _I thought he was just going to ask right there! That really caught me off guard… I didn't look into his mind because I wanted to let him to his thoughts. It might never be what I hoped it was…_ "

They caught up to their goal, and Krystal spied the huge stuffed animals behind the vendor. Her favorite was a plush that looked suspiciously like Fox.

"C'mon Krystal! Try it!" Fox egged her, giving her a football and then pointing to a hole in the wall, thirty yards away.

"I- what is this thing?" Krystal pointed at the football in her hands.

Fox looked at her in great curiosity, then mentally slapped himself for forgetting. She had never heard of football before.

"Oh, right. You've never seen or played football before. Well…"

He took the ball from Krystal, who was watching with interest.

"You hold it at these white seams you see here, and you throw it, with a flick so it flies straight. Like so."

And the football sailed through the hole, Fox satisfied that his touch hadn't gone away from hours playing in the backyard with his dad.

"Wow!" Krystal squealed. "That looked so cool! It just twisted itself to right it, and it went straight."

"Yeah something like that."

"Damnit!" Falco cursed as the football bounced off the wall, millimeters from a repeat of Fox's shot.

"Close, Falco." Fox teased, and he threw another one through the hole, closely followed by Falco's own shot.

"I'm only two points down, you know what can happen." Falco warned Fox.

"Yeah, yeah."

They threw some more through the wall, Fox getting his prize first from throwing three footballs through the wall in a row, and Falco did the same, needing one more because of his first miss.

They got bored after they got a few more, and therefore moved on to the last game, the hammer slam.

By this time, Falco had gotten one point back, putting him only one point behind Fox, and he was hype for his comeback.

"Hell yeah!" He was ready to show Fox up, and get his funnel cake.

"Two plays, please." Fox handed the vendor the credits, showing his special band for a discount.

"Hey, guys!" Fay waved at them, Miyu, Rocky and Bill following behind her.

"At least you got her tracking skills on point." Bill observed to Rocky.

"Psh, you haven't seen anything yet." Miyu boasted about her friend.

"You wanna play?" Fox asked them, when they arrived at the game.

"I will." Bill replied, swinging his arm, loosening his shoulder. "I wanna see how much different it is after some training."

Rocky sighed and plopped onto a bench. "Nah, I'm too tired. I'm still recuperating."

The girls sat down one by one by the husky, wanting to watch the boys play.

"Place your bets, ladies!" Falco called out. He winked at Katt, who rolled her eyes, and bet, "Fox is going to win."

Falco looked at her with disbelief, horrified that she didn't bet on him. This didn't last long, as Katt shook her head, and laughed as she bet on Falco instead.

"Bill's gonna win, he's going to the gym a lot more and he's actually stronger than he looks." Rocky bet, with agreement from Miyu and Fay.

They turned toward Krystal, curious as to who she would bet on.

"Fox." She bet.

Falco whispered to Fox, "This is your chance, Foxy boy."

Bill asked, "What order are we going to go in?"

"I'll go first, you second, Fox last." Falco decided.

"Fine by me." Fox conceded, with a deep breath and a little stretch of his arms.

Krystal couldn't help but stare at them for a good ten seconds, before she was nudged by Katt, who was pointing to the game that Falco was walking up to.

"The game's that way." She teased.

Krystal blushed at being caught, but respectfully turned toward the game to watch Falco as he talked with the vendor.

"You men get stronger every day." The old vendor, a brown cat said in a cranky voice. "I'll bet you can pick up the 15 kilo hammer."

The cat pointed to the said hammer, the head was as long as Falco's forearm, and it was really heavy.

"Piece of cake!" Falco taunted, as he picked up the hammer, and held it over his shoulder.

"Now, to hit the target!" The vendor pointed to the pad on the ground, which would send a metal piece sailing up to the bell at the top.

Falco flexed his impressive upper body muscles, and slammed the hammer down with all his might. The piece shot up with fascinating speed, reaching the bell after it had slowed down. A _ding_ was heard, and the vendor congratulated Falco on his win.

Next was Bill, and he went straight for it, using the same hammer as Falco. His workouts proved very useful, as he produced the same result as the avian before him.

Finally was Fox, and he felt a little nervous. He glanced to his right and saw everyone watching him with great interest, curious as to what he could muster. Then to his left, where Falco and Bill smirked at him, and the brown cat gesturing Fox to the hammer.

Fox picked it up and found it surprisingly lighter than he anticipated. He took a deep breath in as he raised it, and hit the pad with a "HYAP!". He smashed the target with unbelievable force, forcing the metal piece to ring the bell just a bit louder than his competitors before him.

He fistpumped the air, ecstatic that his training in the Great Fox had not failed him, and had even surpassed Bill's, whose ears were dropping a bit in disappointment. Bill was disappointed, yes, but it only motivated him to do even more, as friends do.

"Nice job, buddy!" He clapped Fox on the back, who returned the gesture. "Never thought Fox could outstrength me!"

"Hah, me neither. My body went on full autopilot." Fox admitted.

"Well, that autopilot beat me!" Falco congratulated his friend. "I hate to say this… but I guess you deserve the cake."

"Falco, I'll share a bit with you. You don't have to worry about getting nothing."

"Thanks, Fox."

They were interrupted by the vendor asking them what prize they wanted.

Falco chose the huge pink teddy bear, and gave it to Katt. She hugged it with happiness, and pecked a kiss on his cheek, causing the blue bird to smile.

Bill got a pig plush, and he grinned to Rocky, "Well, now we have ammo for another cannon."

Rocky's eyes widened in anticipation, "We should do that for our apprentices." He gestured to said women.

"Yes, please!" Fay asked.

"Uhm… we won't get in trouble for this, right?" Miyu worried.

"No, we got scolded by our superiors, but that was back when we were students at the academy." Rocky told them.

"And now WE are those superiors." Bill finished for him.

Finally, Fox chose his prize. To Krystal's interest, he chose the plush she wanted.

"Thank you very much!" Fox thanked the vendor, before he checked his watch and addressed his team, "Well, team, it's time to go to the show!"

"Erm… Fox… you might want to check your watch." Falco questioned Fox's judgement. He showed him his own watch, which read 5:45, they still had more than an hour until the fireworks show.

"Oh, sorry." Fox apologized.

"No, Fox. It's fine. Now you get to ask me what you wanted to ask." Krystal egged him.

Fox glanced at everyone nervously, obviously uncomfortable about the situation he was put in.

"U-um…" He looked around once more, and burst out, "I-I don't think this is a good place to ask you, we need to go somewhere private."

Everyone knew what was going to happen light years before it would, but they were a bit disappointed that they were not able to watch it unfold in front of them.

"Why not go on the ferris wheel? It's very roma-" Fay suggested, before a hand clasped over her mouth, belonging to Miyu.

"Yea, the ferris wheel seems like a good idea." She tried to cover up.

It was futile, but everyone decided to play along, to save Fox's pride.

"It's just the two of you, private by yourselves." Falco added.

"You guys are right… thanks!" Fox called out as he started toward the ferris wheel. "C'mon Krystal, it's pretty important."

"Okay.." Krystal was a bit taken aback by Fox's sudden change in attitude, but she shrugged it off. She didn't care too much about now, it was later.

"So… meet back here by 6:30-ish?" Katt asked everyone for their approval, which was returned.

"See ya guys… WAIT! I haven't bought the funnel cake yet, but actually not now…" Falco just bade them later, with Katt tagging along with him.

The masters and their apprentices sat on the bench and talked about memories of their experiences together.

While this was all unfolding, the old brown cat whispered into a hidden walkie-talkie from his pant pocket, "I've seen them, sir. They will watch the fireworks show, just like the information told us."

"Good, good…" A voice from the other end rasped. "This is going to be fun…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Have a nice ride!" The ticketer told Fox and Krystal.

Fox, being inherently polite, replied, "You too."

He realized his mistake as the ticketer looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Um… sorry. Just wanted to say thank you." Fox apologized.

The ticketer shrugged it off, and blatantly waved them into a cabin that was dropping off its last occupants.

Fox thought to himself, " _Damn it… how can I ask her if I messed up a compliment?_ " His confidence was deteriorating.

They stepped inside, and sat on opposite sides of the cabin, face to face.

"What is it Fox?" Krystal asked him after they had settled down.

Fox looked down, unsure if he could ask her, but it was now or never.

He looked up, and saw her comforting gaze, relaxing him and letting him know she was all ears.

"I-I've wanted to ask you this since I saw you in that crystal." He started sheepishly. "You're so beautiful, and I think that I've been holding it off too long… Will you go out with me?" He held out the Fox plush he had won just earlier, and looked down, finally satisfied he had gotten it off his chest. Yet, he was worried about what she would do next.

He wouldn't need to worry, because she took the plush with a smile, and replied, "Yes, Fox."

He breathed in, and gave a smile that radiated happiness. There were no words that could describe just how happy he was.

Krystal knew this, and she gave him a hug, one that he returned immediately.

They kept this position until they had to depart off the cabin. When they got off, Fox guided Krystal off with his hand, and they turned straight into Falco and Katt.

"Woah there buddy!" Falco said.

"Hey guys!" Fox burst.

Falco smiled to himself at the success of his leader.

"It's time for us to go watch the show now. We needed to come get you guys." Katt told them the reason they were there.

"Okay." Krystal cheerily answered.

Behind the Corneria City the park was stationed in was an expanse of green.

They walked together towards the expanse of land complete with some rolling hills.

Fox breathed in a breath of fresh spring air, and looked toward the sky, thankful for this day that has come.

He turned towards a van horn to see Peppy and Slippy pulling up on the parking lot behind them.

"Fox! Help me with these chairs now, won't ya?" Peppy called from the drivers window.

"Sure. Falco, can I get some help too?"

"Yeah, sure."

They trotted off to the parking lot, leaving the two women to talk a little bit.

"So, I take it went well?" Katt said with a smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, it did."

Krystal sighed and continued, "I still can't believe that he really did it."

"Well, he's been having an eye on you for quite a while." Katt teased, referencing Fox's many embarrassing moments.

Krystal laughed, which was followed by dropped chairs beside them.

Fox looked at her with a warm glow in his eyes, and popped a chair open, gesturing Krystal to sit down.

"Fox is such a gentleman!" Katt whispered to Krystal as the tod opened another chair for himself beside the one he set up first.

"Speaking of gentlemen…"

Falco lugged his and assumingly Katt's chair beside Fox, and set it up, acting the same way as Fox.

The males went to get some more chairs for the rest of the team. By this time, more citizens arrived at the site.

Fox and Falco walked up to the van and looked at each other, and complimented his teammate.

"Pretty smooth if I do say so myself." Falco commented.

"Don't start copying me now, Falco." Fox teased.

"Shut up now, will ya?" Falco shot back as he handed Fox another chair.

They set these chairs up, and went back one final time for Fay, Miyu, Rocky, and Bill.

The said quartet walked up as they hauled the chairs off the van.

"Sorry we're a bit late, we could'a helped you with those." Rocky apologized.

"Nah, it's fine." Fox waved off. "Go sit down, we got these last ones."

"Fine by me!" Bill strode off, with Miyu and Fay following him."

A minute later, Rocky, Fox, and Falco arrived back at their seats, and Fox in particular was not happy.

"Get out of my seat, Bill."

"What?"

"Get… off… my… seat…" Fox growled.

Bill looked around him and leaped out of the seat, furious at himself for not noticing earlier.

"Sorry Fox." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It's fine I guess." Fox settled in his proper seat, beside Krystal.

After everyone was sat down, small talk rippled through the group. It primarily contained the new relationship in the team.

They were interrupted by a large burst of colors in the twilight sky, and a sound that shook their insides.

"Look, Fox! The show is starting." Krystal pointed out.

"Yeah…" Fox looked at more colors fading.

He looked to his side because of a weight on his shoulder. He found it was Krystal's head, leaning against his shoulder.

Unsure of what to do, he looked past her, and saw Katt doing the same with Falco, who also leaned his head on top of his lover.

Fox tapped Krystal's hand, and when she looked at him, he silently pointed at the pair next to them. She nodded her consent, and he gingerly lay his head on top of hers. He had a curious sniff of her cobalt hair. Did she use lavender shampoo today?

This position was very awkward for the couple at first. They were only just allowed to do this about a thirty minutes before. But after the first few minutes in this position, they eventually grew more comfortable, enjoying the closeness.

Krystal was becoming more and more tired as the show went on, eventually falling asleep in a comfortable position leaning against Fox.

He would not notice until the end of the show because of his nap as well.

Falco and Katt observed the new couple, intrigued by how much progress was already covered. Star Fox and Fox needed this day.

"Awww… They're sleeping against each other!" Katt quietly gushed to Falco.

Falco grinned, and he questioned, "How far do you think they'll go?"

"All the way."

Falco sighed, "Hopefully."

And he pecked a kiss on the top of her head, and they continued watching the show.

After what seemed like ages, the end neared.

The final blast was a rainbow of colors, and the audience oohed and aahed.

As the dying embers faded into non existence, Fox finally started.

He looked around him, and asked everyone else, "Is it over?"

"Yes, it is lover boy." Bill flatly replied. "I take it you missed the whole thing?"

"Um… Yeah?"

"Why don't you wake up your GIRLFRIEND?" Rocky emphasized, eliciting a slight blush from Fox.

"Wait, what?"

Fox turned to Krystal, and found her sleeping on his shoulder.

" _How did we sleep through the whole show? And how did I not notice her asleep earlier?_ "

He gently shook her awake, and she opened her eyes in confusion.

"Wha-"

"We fell asleep." Fox explained. "We slept through the whole thing, and it's time to go now."

"That was a great sleep." She yawned. "Too bad we missed it."

When everyone started to pack up, Fox whispered to Krystal, "I didn't mind though."

"Me neither." They shared a smile and reluctantly got up.

Even though everyone's mood was one of joy and happiness, two members of Star Fox were more tense and alert than the others.

"We've got to keep Katt safe." Miyu reminded Fay of their task. "Do you think you can track anything about the assassin?"

"No…" Fay's ears drooped. "Every tracker needs a trail, or a starting point. All we know about this assassin is that he's a lizard."

"Damn it…" Miyu came up with an idea, a very dangerous one. "Hey Fay…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you track the approximate location of where a gun was shot?"

"Easily."

"Do you know what I'm thinking?"

Fay eyes widened. "You aren't going to do what I think you are doing, right?"

A glint of determination lit Miyu's eyes, "Oh, yes Fay. We must complete this defence at any cost."

Minutes later, the meadow was clear of citizens, leaving the Star Fox team to leave. When everybody was packed and ready to go, they set out towards the van, their way back to the hotel.

Suddenly, a shot broke the silence, and a wail of pain came from Katt, who gripped her shoulder. Miyu had saved her, shoving her out of the worst the bullet could do.

"Go, Fay!"

"Got that!" Fay pinpointed exactly where the shot came from, a three story building that rested just a block into the city.

She zipped into the building, blaster in hand. Miyu followed behind her, leaving the stunned team to tend to the injured Katt.

All except one.

Falco had come dashing after them, eager to kill whoever shot his girl. It had been going so perfectly…

"Doggie! Guard the elevator as an escape route! Miyu! Watch if the bastard escapes through a window! I'll make sure he doesn't get through the stairs!"

"Understood!" And the trio set off to corner the assassin.

Falco rushed to the second floor, an office with cubicles, and started to scour the room for any hints of assassin here. There were none, so he went up to the next floor. He combed through it and came up empty handed.

"FUCK!" Falco shouted. He searched again, and he found one more option, the roof.

He burst the door to the roof open, and searched the flat top. A figure stood at the edge of the building, observing the scene below. It was obviously the assassin, who had the rifle in hand.

Falco pulled out his blaster and jeered, "Not much of an assassin now, huh?" He cautiously made his way toward his target.

The assassin did not do anything, even as Falco pressed the barrel against his skull.

After a brief tension, the assassin broke up in laughter.

"Falco Lombardi, I thought you were in on this."

The assassin turned around, and revealed himself. Falco gasped in shock.

"Leon!"

"Indeed! Your girlfriend is fine, as you can see." He pointed down, where Falco did not bother to look. True to his word, Leon was saying facts, as Katt was fine, and had stood up.

"This whole operation was for me to "assassinate" Katt. Not actually kill her." Leon explained. "This was to show the team how valuable Fay and Miyu are."

"Well, shit. I guess I was duped." Falco groaned in humiliation.

"Well, Fox said that you knew it." Leon pushed.

"I didn't. How can you explain the blood that came from Katt?" Falco triumphantly pointed out.

"Ketchup." Leon replied.

Falco looked at Leon as if he had turned his face upside down.

Leon cackled his evil laugh, and pulled out another bullet, which was filled with fake blood.

"Just kidding, it's fake blood Falco. This was a real ROLLERCOASTER ride for you, eh?"

Goddammit, Leon.

Falco frowned at his rival, and turned and went down the stairs without another word.

He beckoned to Fay and Miyu that everything was okay, and they could leave.

He was about to go out the door, before he noticed that Leon was beside his friends, talking with them.

" _Wait, what?_ "

He ran outside and whipped Leon around, looking him dead in the eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting my payment!" Leon complained. He pointed to Fox, who was in the middle of giving Leon a check of all things.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Falco turned to Fox, who in turn shook his head in disappointment.

"Falco, we discussed it yesterday, see how they would handle this situation." Fox explained.

"Wait, this was all a set up?" Miyu asked.

"Why, yes!" Katt trod up to them. "I'm sorry, I think I was keeping Falco busy when we were talking about it." She looked slyly at Falco.

Leon looked back and forth between them, intrigued at the Star Fox team's bonds.

"Well, I got what I came for." He shook hands with Fox. "This was a nice refreshment. I think Wolf and I might like to work with you sometime."

"We would like for you to work with us." Fox could not contain his inner confidence. Both their teams together would destroy any force that threatened the Lylat system.

Leon waved goodbye to the team, before disappearing into the shadows of the city.

Falco commented, "He really is a changed man."

"Yes, Falco. Now, we got to get everyone back to the hotel."

"Gotcha."

After getting everyone into the van, they would arrive at the hotel in five minutes.

By now, it was a dark night at 9:30 when they trod through the doors of the hotel.

Everyone had been able to stay awake, but Krystal was not strong enough to.

Fox carried her up to their room, bidding goodnight to everyone else.

Krystal held the plush as he opened the door.

He gently set her down on her bed, not sure what to do next. He knew how uncomfortable regular clothes in bed could be, and he didn't want to change her clothes right there.

" _I guess I'll just change._ " He grabbed his pajamas from the hanger, and walked into the bathroom to change.

He came back to see nothing had changed, and he allowed himself to lay onto his bed, turning off his light and staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of his day swirled in his mind.

" _Today… was an amazing day._ "

Fox looked to his left, and saw Krystal in her bed, her head turned toward him. He decided that he would be a bit bold.

This was executed by getting up from his bed and kissing her forehead goodnight.

A murr came from Krystal's chest once he receded, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

Fox's heart melted.

He climbed back into his own bed, and barely audibly said, "Goodnight Krystal." And closed his eyes, sleep taking him.

—

 _ **Hello everyone again!**_

 _ **Holy Lylat, this took way, WAY longer than I originally intended.**_

 _ **Yada, yada, yada, I got sick and my WiFi died so I couldn't write for a few days. Adding to that, I edited out many parts of this chapter, which put more time into this chapter. But, I am satisfied that this is 8,000 words!**_

 _ **I am a sick liar. Wolf x Fox fans will not like this, but I've decided that they won't meet until the chapter AFTER the next one, a cutesy Krystal x Fox episode with Katt and Falco.**_

 _ **So yeah, that's my plan for this story thus far.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 3: Star Fox Double Date

_**Hello reader,**_

 _ **This chapter is questionably a little more than what I rated it, so expect a lot of dirty jokes and such in this read. Sorry if you can't take it!**_

 _ **That's it from me, so enjoy this chapter!**_

"Hey! That was my beef!" Fox complained to Falco as the bird took the last strip of meat off the griddle.

Krystal wrapped her arms around her lover's neck, "Don't worry, we have more coming."

"Yeah, Fox ya gotta give her some meat too~" Falco had a slight slur in his voice.

"Shut up." Fox stuck his tongue out at his offender.

"It's okay, Falco. I get my protein often." She winked at Fox.

"Krys…" the tod complained as his face burned.

Nearly a year later after they got together, Fox and Krystal *ahem* did it countless times.

"Oh?" Katt joined in. "What's this talk about protein?"

"Nothing!" Fox quickly dismissed her question.

"Now what are you whippersnappers talkin' about? Gettin' drunk n' all that…" Peppy intervened from across the room. It was him that was drunk though.

"Peppy, ya gotta quiet down now… we're in public~" Falco said cautiously as he found his brain functions were slow as well.

"Well, I'm makin' sure…" Peppy started before he passed out, everyone staring at his body wide-eyed.

"Um… I didn't kill him, did I?~" Falco stupidly asked.

"Ugh, no…" Fox reeled at the smell of alcohol on Peppy as he tried to prop him up against the wall. "He's just too tired, that's all."

After a few minutes of unsuccessful attempts at getting him up, Slippy interjected.

"I got him." He assured Fox as he took Peppy into his fiddley hands and gently rested Peppy's body in the corner.

"How do you not drink, Fox?" Slippy asked as he sat back down, sipping at his sakè.

Fox sat beside him, and replied, "First of all, yes I do. When I start, it's just hard to stop. That's why I don't drink that often."

"Isn't that everyone?"

"I dunno… I'm just weak that way."

"Why did you run off without me?~" Krystal rolled over on the woven floor from conversing with Fay and Miyu, who lay on top of each other.

"What were you doing over there, Krys?" Fox, curious, inquired.

"Truth or dare alcohol edition~" Krystal explained her slight slur.

"Ah, okay." Fox found himself gradually surrounded by drunk teammates.

They usually didn't celebrate this way, unless it was mission was intercepting illegal weapons from Venom. It wasn't huge, but it was definitely something to celebrate.

Their help in this mission was none other than the Star Wolf team. They had invited Wolf and the others to eat with them, but they politely refused, they needed to go back to the Sargasso space station.

Despite this slight disappointment, Star Fox's reward was two weeks of freedom, bestowed by Fox himself.

"Why don't you go back to the game?" Fox asked.

"You don't want me here?~" Krystal looked at him with suspicion in her eyes.

"No, I want you here. I thought you might want to go back to truth or daring with Fay and Miyu."

"Hm… nope. They're asleep.~" Krystal peered at them and confirmed Fox's assumption.

"Well, if you're tired, I'm here to lean on." Fox patted his shoulder.

Krystal promptly laid her head on Fox's thighs.

The sliding door into their room opened to a black Labrador waitress, holding a large plate of thin beef and pork.

"The number five you ordered, sir."

"Thank you very much." Fox thanked her as she set it down on the table by the griddle.

"May I take these plates?" The waitress pointed at the plates Peppy, Fay, and Miyu ate from.

"Yes, please. Thank you." He once again thanked as she took the plates and bowed out of the room, closing the door.

Falco scooted over to Fox and Krystal, Katt right beside him.

"Can I have some meat too, Fox?~" he asked.

"Sure." Fox Said before glancing at Falco's plate. "Eat that beef you stole from me first though."

"Okay~"

As Falco nibbled on his beef, Fox lay the raw meat on the hot griddle, satisfying sizzling sounds resonating around the room.

"Mm…" Fox smelled the teriyaki-scented air.

He waited a minute before flipping the thin meat over.

"Alright guys, you can take it now." Fox informed the ones still eating after a brief pause.

"Thanks Fox. You're the best~" Katt used her chopsticks to tentatively pick a few pieces off the griddle, bedding it over some rice and lettuce.

As Katt crunched on her little meal, Falco apologized to Fox.

"Sorry about the beef from earlier. You can have everything from this batch~"

The vulpine's eyes lit up as if he struck gold.

"Buuuut…~" the avian rebutted. "I get some first~"

"Fine." Fox allowed Falco to pick some strips off before replacing them with more sizzling goodness.

Finally, Fox was able to eat the meal he had been craving for just a few minutes.

The juices burst in his mouth as he chewed on the brown and grey meats doused in teriyaki sauce.

As he moved to pick another one up, a hand cupped his chin.

He immediately knew who it was, and looked down at Krystal resting on his lap. Knowing what she wanted, he picked up the strip he moved for and let it gently drop into her open mouth.

Watching her eat it with delight made it impossible for him to not smile.

After the plate became empty from the eager diners, Fox decided it was time for the team to go home.

The tod called up for the check, and instead of the Labrador waitress he expected, he saw another vulpine making his way towards him.

The other fox had white fur, narrowed eyes and red markings under them. When Fox looked into his eyes, they were a blue hue, which held a serious but respectful glare.

"Herro, I amu Kitsune." The white fox introduced himself in a weird accent.

"Love you too…~" a seriously, concerningly drunk Falco called.

"Do not mind him." Fox apologized. "I am Fox, Fox McCloud."

"Fokkusu! Die Fokkusu McCroud?" (Fox! The Fox McCloud?)

Fox could barely understand him through his accent.

"Yes, I am Fox."

"Sank you! You sabed my dooghter!" (Thank you! You saved my daughter!)

"Well, I've saved many lives, so…"

"Ai amu the owna of dis resteraunt, ret me shou you mai sanks." (I am the owner of this restraint, let me show you my thanks.)

He gave Fox a small golden kitsune statue with one eye without it's pupil like its other.

"Dis staute will gain it's otha eye when you have found all ov your lovu!" (This statue will gain it's other eye when you have found all of your love!)

Fox was really confused, he was already really happy with Krystal, he could not imagine himself with anyone else.

When he touched the cold metal, he felt shivers up and down his spine.

" _I can't believe this guy right now. All I can do is thank him._ "

"Thank you very much." Fox bowed, a tradition in that part of Corneria.

"Nou probrem! Ai houp you hab die life you diserbe."

(No problem! I hope you have the life you deserve.)

Kitsune then handed Fox the bill, which he believed to be a lot lower than it should be. He nonetheless accepted the kindness.

"Again, Thank you. For the meal and this statue." Fox gestured to the curious trinket in his hand.

Kitsune only bowed and shuffled out of the room, leaving Fox to clean up the mess that was his team.

Shaking Miyu was the last action he performed before he led them out to the van, climbing into the driver's seat himself.

The drive home was long, and gave him time to think on what Kitsune meant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thank you Fox…" a very tired Slippy yawned as he opened the door to the hotel room he and Peppy shared.

"Really, it's nothing. I really had fun at dinner." Fox waved it off as he carried Peppy in and set him on the bed.

"Take care, now." Slippy finished as Fox bade goodbye.

The next stop was the Cornerian Army barracks.

"C'mon, Fay. We're back now~" Miyu tried to wake her friend, but to no avail.

"Don't worry. Do you want me to take her in?" Fox asked.

Miyu took a while to think, but refused.

"I got it, thanks~"

"Okay, I'll have Bill or Rocky check up on you guys tomorrow, so have a good night's sleep."

"Okay, thanks Foooooox~" she yawned as she piggy-back rode Fay to their bunks.

Finally, it was their home.

Fox opened the door to the little house he, Krystal, Falco, and Katt shared. Two floors, a kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms and bathrooms held the necessities the four needed.

"C'mon guys. You can make it." He encouraged Falco and Katt.

"Why can't you carry us like you do Krystal?~" Falco complained, pointing to the cerulean vixen on Fox's back.

"You have to go to your own room, and we'll go in ours." Fox pointed out.

It impacted Falco, who grunted and picked up a dozing Katt and zipped up the stairs to their room.

" _Now I can see just how drunk he is_." Fox chucked internally.

"Mmm…" Krystal muttered as she dug her face into Fox's neck fur.

" _Gotta get her to bed._ "

He locked the front door and scaled the stairs, turning to the first door, the room he and Krystal shared.

Opening it revealed a king size bed, two closets and the door to the bathroom.

Fox set Krystal down onto the fuzzy warm blanket on top, wondering what to do next.

" _I should probably change her but… eh, fuck it._ "

The tod couldn't not let a little blood rush through his face as he beheld to him the most perfect female body in existence.

He quickly changed her into her favorite pajamas, and he changed into his own.

Finally, he crawled into the bed with her, tanking through some alcohol scent he could still smell on her breath.

Relaxing as she turned over to face the edge, he spooned her, making sure she was as warm as she could be in the semi-cold room.

Sleep took him until early the next morning.

Krystal pried her eyes open later that morning, a light headache irritating her.

" _Oops… I knew I shouldn't have drunk that sakè… but it's so good with the yakiniku._ "

Her thoughts were interrupted as a pleasant smell rose to her nose.

She slyly grinned as she realized the situation.

Sneaking down the stairs to not make a sound, she looked left over the railing to see Fox's back turned to her.

He was mixing something in a bowl furiously, and the smell was explained by the two pans on the stove next to him.

Sneaking up on him was the hard part, scaring him would be easy.

She quietly tiptoed across the cool stone kitchen floor, doing her best not to make a sound.

"Hey, Krystal?"

"Eep!"

She whipped around and found Katt staring at her.

"What are you doing?" Katt continued.

"I know." Fox had turned around, snickering. "She was trying to scare me, but I had you on lock." He pointed at the small mirror on top of the sink, a detail she had missed.

"Never mind that." Krystal waved off the embarrassment of being caught. "What are you cooking?"

"My famous omelet!" Fox proudly flipped one over from one pan, and checked the other pan, where he was sautéing fillings.

"I thought you always liked making pancakes?" Krystal tilted her head.

"Yeah, but I'm great with eggs too." He shifted the omelet from the pan onto a plate with some egg pancakes already made.

He poured the mix he had been mixing onto the pan, eliciting more eggy smell in the air.

Krystal noticed how careful he was with every single one of his creations.

"That's part of why I love you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged a confused Fox.

"What do you mean?"

"So caring of everything and everyone. The other part…" she flicked his chest. "...is top secret between us."

The tod smiled as he cracked another egg into the mixing bowl.

"Oooh! Top secret? I want to get in on this!" Katt squealed.

"No." Fox and Krystal simultaneously answered.

"Aw… you guys are no fun. *sigh* I'll go get Falco and tell him breakfast's ready." Katt climbed the stairs to her room.

A few minutes later, Falco trudged into the kitchen.

"'Morning." He croaked.

"Good morning Falco, how do you feel?" Krystal asked.

"Not too great."

"We can all go out and do something if that can help."

"Eh…"

Katt guided him to a seat at the wooden table.

"Falco, babe, if that's going to be your attitude, I can't tolerate it." She sternly scolded him.

He was too tired to answer, resting his head on his wing.

Katt sighed, and loudly said, "I guess I'm going to have to take a shower by myself now…"

Falco's head didn't move, but he replied, "It's okay, I'll try."

"Thanks." She smooched his cheek and sat down beside him.

"Breakfast…" Fox entered the room carrying the omelets and the fillings. "...is served."

After he set the food down, he walked back to the kitchen to get plates, forks and knives, and the ketchup.

They ate heartily, enjoying the softness of the egg and the sharp flavors of the sautéed filling.

"Wow! This is really tasty!" Falco complimented, some strength regained by food intake.

Katt nodded in agreement.

"This is so good… why haven't you made this before?" Krystal questioned Fox.

"I did, and it was… erm… unsuccessful."

"What do you mean?"

"The scrambled eggs are actually failed attempts." He scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, Fox. I can't cook all that much! We love your food to bits!" Katt exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Falco added. "We'll eat everything you make!"

"We're so thankful for all your hard work Fox, really." Krystal finally added.

"Guys…" Fox almost felt tears in his eyes at the honest compliments he was receiving. "I promise to make everything awesome for all of you."

"Foxy, we should be thanking you for everything. You've already made everything awesome for me."

"Thanks…" Fox beamed as he trailed off, "So! What do we want to do today? We have tons of time, so we can do lots of things!"

Falco filled his omelet with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and spinach until it couldn't hold any more. "I feel better, I'll maybe go outside for like, a minute."

Fox rolled his eyes at Falco's crack at a joke, "I said we can do LOTS of things, not do not many things."

"Fine, I'll watch a movie."

"Ooh! Like the White Cougar?! I heard it was a great movie!" Katt excitedly commented.

"Yeah, sure." Fox agreed as ketchup squirted from the bottle onto his omelet. "It'll be… a double date I guess."

He looked at the others for their approval, and they gave a thumbs up for the idea.

"It's settled then. We'll leave in an hour."

After they cleaned up the plates, (All the omelets were eaten.) there was more than enough time to clean themselves up and look presentable.

Falco and Katt went up to their room to take a shower (together) while the other couple bought the tickets to the movie online.

"Showtimes are… 12:30 and 2:05. Which do you rather want to go to?"

"2:05."

"'Kay" Fox clicked on the BUY button. He remembered something crucial and whispered to himself, "Oh, right, seating."

"What was that?" Krystal asked.

"Nothing! Actually…"

The vulpine decided to be a bit sneaky and asked Krystal to get him some water, he was "thirsty".

While she went to the kitchen, he quickly selected two double seats in the back and hurriedly bought them.

" _Hehe…_ "

His devious mind laugh was cut off by Krystal reentering the room and handing him his water.

"Thanks." He chugged it down.

"So we're good?" She asked him.

"Yep, everything's set. We just need to take pictures of the barcodes…"

Whipping out his phone, he took a picture of one barcode out of a pair.

"Why are there two barcodes?" Krystal inquired.

"Er… it's a discount ticket!"

"Well, I sure didn't see it." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"It doesn't matter. I have the tickets set, it's alright."

"Fine, but if there's only two seats…" Fox yipped as she tazed him. "Katt and I get those."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." The tod rubbed his stinging sides.

"Good." She turned towards the door, where she turned around and beckoned him, "C'mon Foxy. It seems like they're done, now it's our turn."

"Hell yeah!" He smiled devilishly. "Now it's time for revenge on that tazing…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a "sorta" clean shower.

After Krystal's ordeal through Fox's punishment, they dried themselves off and put on their clothes.

Fox and Krystal matched in their green wooly turtlenecks and jeans.

"I think we're ready, right?" Fox asked Krystal.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Just a moment… keys… glasses… money… ah, yes, my phone."

The vulpine pocketed his phone and took Krystal's hand in his and they sauntered down the stairs to the front door where Falco and Katt were waiting.

Fox nearly cried in laughter.

Falco and Katt also matched, but to the blue avian's dismay, in pink long-sleeves and black sweatpants. He looked ridiculous, and his pectorals nearly ripping the stretching material didn't help either.

"Wait a second…" Fox whipped out his phone and took a picture of the couple standing in front of the door, Katt looking excited and Falco… well… sad.

"Let's just go now, can we?" Falco complained.

"Yeah, sure we can." Katt let go and opened the door to a cool breeze drifting through the house.

"Brr… it's actually pretty cold." Falco shivered as the thinned material allowed icy air to slip to his feathers. He hoped this would allow him to change into something he would rather have, and it was a bit chilly for him.

"Never fear! I had this all planned out!" Kart declared as she sprinted up the stairs into the room to come out a few moments later.

Fox could blow up with the laughter he was containing.

Falco looked with horror at the pink sweater Katt was presenting from atop the stairwell. He didn't react when it dropped onto his face and the feline ordered him to put it on.

After Falco's reluctant obedience, they stepped outside, Fox locking the door behind them.

"Oh, right!" The vulpine whipped out his phone and called a number.

"Sorry that this is late, Bill. But I need you to check up on Fay and…" he cut himself off as he thanked, "thanks man, sorry that it was a bit late. Hm? Uh, I was busy…?"

He looked at Krystal with a " _help me!_ "

She took the phone from him and promptly said, "Fox and I took a shower together, he just forgot." She giggled at Bill's answer.

"Um… no. It's top secret." She looked at Fox from the reference that morning. "Yeah, uh huh, bye."

She handed the phone back to a stammering Fox. "Y-y-you…"

"Yes, I did. Now let's go."

"Yeah, let's go. We have to be there in a few hours and I want some hot chocolate before we go." Falco had tapped his foot all the while, his mood a bit foul at his predicament with pink sweaters.

And so they made their way to downtown Corneria.

As they turned to Film City, the theater there, the quartet planned what to do.

"We have about two hours before we have to check into the movie. Add about fifteen minutes for concessions." Fox calculated.

"Nah, forget the concessions, let's just sneak in food!" Falco schemed.

Fox looked at him flatly, "Remember the last time we did that?"

"Uh…"

 **Fox, Falco, and Wolf walk into the theater, Wolf amazed at the settings.**

" **You've never been to a theater, huh, Wolf?" Fox asked.**

" **No, pup. First time." Wolf replied in his gruff voice. He continued, "And uh… can I ask you something?"**

" **What is it, Wolf?"**

" **I was your rival, and I said I fought your father but I really didn't… but anyway." He started.**

" **Wolf, just get to the point."**

" **I just want to know why you're being so friendly to me. The Aparoid War was literally two months ago, and before that, we wanted to kill each other."**

 **Fox looked at him with faked surprise. "Oh, so because we were rivals we have to kill each other? Wolf, you are a paid mercenary, just like me and Falco right here. FALCO EAT OR THROW AWAY THE CANDY." Fox spied the avian stuffing his pockets of illegal outside sweets.**

" **Anyway, we don't have any jobs right now, at least not by two different sides, we're on the same side. You saved our asses against the Aparoids. And did you see the gangsters when we landed at their hideout?"**

" **Holy fuck yes!" Wolf remembered.**

" **Yeah, they were scared shitless. Why? Star Wolf and Star Fox have teamed up to become the best mercenary team in the whole Lylat system."**

" **I see your point…"**

" **Well, enough talking for now, let's go in." Fox looked at the time and beckoned Wolf to follow, Falco, pockets bursting of candy, waddling behind them.**

 **The ticketer allowed Fox and Wolf to pass, but immediately stopped Falco.**

" **Sir…" the ticketer started, "You have outside foods, which violates our rules and we must throw away your ticket." He promptly ripped up the ticket.**

" **Now, get out."**

 **Falco was devastated, and Fox and Wolf cancelled their tickets to go to the movies another time.**

Back in the present, Falco remembered, and responded, "Uhh… yeah. You have a point." Defeated, the avian positively perked back up as he predicted, "At least I get to have something sweet today!"

Katt looked in confusion at his public declaration, until she realized that he was making his way to the MoonCredits across the street.

As everyone settled down in one of the booths in the cafe, Falco stood up and walked behind the line waiting to order. Fox followed him.

Fox ordered a large green tea Frappuccino (what's with all the Japanese foods lately?) and Falco hot chocolate along with a caramel and chocolate mocha.

They set down their drinks and sat down beside their respective lovers.

"Aw, you know what I like!" Krystal pecked a kiss on Fox's cheek who answered, "I want to know you like the back of my hand."

"So sweet…" Katt adored the couple in front of her. Her observing was cut off as Falco handed HER favorite drink, the mocha.

She reciprocated what Krystal performed just a second ago.

"I want to know you like the back of my… wing." Falco said with understandable confusion. This double couple thing was getting repetitive.

*POOF!*

Uh-oh…

As time around the quartet stopped, a familiar red fox emerged from the puff of smoke, none other than Fire.

"Hey, y'all!" He greeted the characters of the story.

"You're that Fire guy, right?" Fox asked him.

"Sure am!"

"So you know what the statue is all about, right?"

Fire nodded, while Krystal, Falco and Katt looked on with piqued interest.

The red vulpine answered, "I do know what the statue is about, but I can't tell you. It'll ruin the story."

Fox looked disappointed, and continued, "Okay… well, what brought you here?"

"Oh, yes. The repetitive couple actions. It just fits your archetype well, that's all."

"And what's our archetype?" Katt asked.

"The hot, sexy women for the strong, "gifted" men." Fire winked at the males.

"What?!" They all shouted at the fiery tod, who held his hands up in defense.

"Woah, hey. It's between you guys. I mean, maybe…" Fire trailed off as he thought of his next story (?).

"No. None of this goes out." Krystal firmly told Fire, who laughed and told her as he wagged his finger teasingly, "It isn't up to you, it's to the people reading this."

Falco snorted unconvincingly, "Well, people reading this, tell this weirdo to stop this shit."

Smiling, Fire snapped his fingers and it seemed like nothing had happened, until Falco complained again.

"Hah, he doesn't have any sort of power!" The blue avian snapped his beak shut as a high squealing voice came out.

Everyone else laughed as Falco tried to hit Fire and his wing passed through his target.

"Damn it!" And they all died a death by giggles.

"Well, I hope you learned your lesson Falco." Fire scolded the furious avian. "Your normal voice will return in… three hours."

Fire started to dissipate from the feet, and as his torso was halfway gone, he finished with, "Have fun! I'll make sure to fix these cracks…".

And as the tips of his ears cleared from existence, the ice that held time melted and everything resumed as before.

"Um… What was that?" Falco asked everyone else in his high voice.

"I… don't know…" Fox wondered. Luckily, they had their memories erased from their meetings with Fire.

"Never mind that, let's just have our drinks!" Katt sipped at her mocha.

"Mm… hot. Just like I like it!" Falco took a sip at his cup.

"Well, it's not called hot chocolate for nothing!" Fox joked.

"Shut up." The bird whined.

Krystal finally addressed his voice problem, "Falco, your voice is… um… high?"

He frowned and looked at his hot chocolate in suspicion.

"Just… don't mention it, okay?"

Fox snickered.

As Krystal drank her beverage, her brain started to hurt, and she let it pass.

After the pain dissipated, she felt bad about Fox not having anything. She gestured to the green drink in her hand.

"Want some?"

"Sure."

Fox gulped down the cold drink to about half, the icyness affecting him at a minimum.

"Hey!" Krystal complained, and she had a dirty plan that was executed immediately.

She took Fox's chin, and turning it to face her, she mashed her lips against his, tongue entering his mouth and tasting the green tea in his maw.

Krystal did this until she was satisfied, and pulled back to a dazed Fox and a Falco and Katt whose jaws were drilling the ground.

"We're in public…" Falco squeaked.

Krystal ignored Falco's comment to think, " _Favorite drink plus Fox? Best taste._ "

Fox, who snapped out of his daze, whispered in Krystal's ear, "I would buy you all the green tea frapps and drink them again."

"Foxy, you don't have to do that. Just let me know and…" she quickly kissed him again and whispered, "I will _obey._ "

A camper pitched his site in Fox's pants at the wrong time.

"Uh… thanks, Krys." Fox covered it up cleverly by slinging his arm around her shoulders and allowing her to finish off the cold drink.

"So… um…" the flustered Falco tried to start a conversation after an awkward silence. "What do you think the movie's going to be like?"

"Absolutely action packed!" Katt swiped claws at the air.

"Yep, on Quacker, people are saying how awesome it was!" Krystal scrolled on her phone.

"Then… shall we go?" Fox looked at his watch. "We only have thirty minutes before we need to go."

"Yes! Let's!" The pink feline agreed with enthusiasm.

They stood up and disposed of their trash, and made their way outside once again across the street from the theater. Crossing the walk, Krystal shivered, regretting her decision to have an icy drink.

Fox opened the doors for everyone to go through, being the thoughtful gentleman he was.

Settling themselves in the concession stand line, they discussed what they wanted to eat. When it was their turn, Falco took it upon himself to speak for everyone else.

"Large popcorn, extra butter included… Zour Ztrings… Chewy Fruiti." He listed off their food to the cashier, who raised her eyebrow but didn't question it. She came back with the sweets. Then, filling a bucket with popcorn and drizzling it in liquid butter.

"22 credits, sir."

"Okay." Falco pulled out a slip of paper. "Can I use this…?"

The cashier took the coupon and scanned it, and to the blue avian's joy, nodded and ripped up the paper. "7 credits, sir."

"Great!" Falco paid for the much cheaper, better food and turned to a not so great scene.

The other three had sat down on a bench in the lobby, and a new cat had joined them.

Falco walked up to them as Fox held his head in his hands and Krystal was trying to comfort him.

Kitt was arguing with Katt, and it was about none other than the pink sweaters.

"Honestly Katt, Falco doesn't look great in them."

Katt snorted, "He's fine with it, right babe?"

"Yeah! Yeah, totally!" He replied hastily.

Katt turned toward her counterpart cockily, "See, you don't know my boyfriend like I do."

Kitt was very surprised by Falco's high pitched voice. Trying to bring attention to her concern, she started, "Katt, you know that..."

Katt cut off her counterpart's comment, "I'm better than you? Yeah, I know. It's time to go watch the movie now, let's go." She stood up and pat her sisters head, "I win this time, catch'a later."

"W-Wait! I actually came to get an interview with…" Kitt started before everyone hurried out of earshot.

Fox had recovered enough from the catastrophe to determine their screen number.

"27...26...25...24!" He declared the number and showed the digital tickets to the ticketer, who meticulously scanned the codes and beckoned them in.

"Now, we're S240 and S241." Fox watched the letters on the stairs carefully as he made his way up the dimly lit room.

"Wait… two seats?! I thought you got it all ready!" Krystal protested, furious that he got it wrong.

"Yes I did… Ta-da!" Fox presented the two seats he had reserved, seats obviously for lovers to sit.

"Damn, Fox. This is a theater, not a love ride." Falco commented.

"Okay, suit yourself!" Katt dragged Krystal into a seat and sat down it it beside her.

"Wait… hey!" The tod protested.

"Well, like Falco said, this is a theater, not a love ride, so wouldn't it make sense for this seat configuration?" Katt tried to reason.

"I take it back, okay?" Falco put the food down and effortlessly picked up Katt to sit her down in the other seat before a series of crunches followed.

His eyes widened and he slowly looked down to where he set the concessions down, and to his dismay, his heel had tipped the bucket over and the contents spilled all over the floor.

With the best (high pitched) Darth Vader voice, he shouted, "NOOOO!"

"Mommy! That bird girl is too loud!" A child complained a few rows up.

"Yeah, GIRL. Pipe it down a little." Katt teased Falco, who shut up and stormed off to go get refills for the popcorn.

Fox settled in his rightful seat, and assured Katt, "He's fine, he's a little hot tempered like he always is. Especially after last night."

"I would imagine so." She chuckled.

"Speaking of last night, we need to start thinking about dinner soon. We can go out to eat or…" with a twinkle in Fox's eye, he offered, "I can cook."

Both women's mouths filled with saliva, already hungering just for the prospective dinner the vulpine would cook up.

"We want you to cook!" Krystal nudged him.

"What do you want?" He asked them.

Katy shrugged, "As long as I eat something you made, I'm fine."

"Then let's wait for Falco and see what he has to say." Fox concluded.

As if on cue, the avian made his way up the stairs with some more popcorn in the bucket.

He settled himself in the seat with Katt, and carefully picked up the other treats he left on the floor.

"Falco, what do you want for dinner tonight?" Fox asked after he relaxed.

"Whatever, at least if you cook it."

" _Just as I thought…_ " Fox concluded.

"Well, I'm going to make some steak or chicken lemon. Whichever one is your guys' choice."

Krystal rephrased it for everyone, "Steak or chicken?"

"Steak." Falco answered.

"Chicken." Katt argued.

"I'll have to go with steak." Krystal agreed with Falco.

"Alright, order is taken, I'll make steak tonight." Fox decided.

Suddenly, the lights went out, and the huge screen came to life in front of them, the movie was starting.

Krystal warmed herself up beside Fox, and they started to watch the film.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Haaaah…" Fox yawned as he and his companions walked out of the theater. He squinted his jade green eyes against the abrasive sunlight until they adjusted.

"I thought it was a great movie." Katt reviewed.

"Same." Falco agreed, back in his old voice.

"Falco, you were in the bathroom for about half the time, like you wanted to miss it."

"No I wasn't." He retorted.

Fox supported his avian teammate, "Yeah, he just wanted the bad hot chocolate out of his system."

They believed it was the hot chocolate, not the scene with Fire that caused Falco's voice problem

Katt rolled her eyes. Krystal assured her, "Men will be men, stupid."

"Hey!"

The women giggled, followed by the male's own laughter.

After the chuckling died down, Fox ordered, "It's about 4:00, we should get going."

"Where will we go to get the steak?" Krystal asked.

"Only the best of the best for the best! To M-Mart!"

And so they walked the ten minutes to the best butcher in Corneria talking about spoilers to the movie.

As always, Fox held the door open for everyone, and they filed into the shop, meats hanging behind the counter in the back.

A lean German Shepherd was slicing ham for an elderly couple. A tv hung above the counter showing the numbers and how long it would be in the queue.

"Oh, wow…" Krystal was awed by the number of claws that held the beef.

A line beheld the quartet, and they had taken tickets that went up to 68.

"Oh, shit…" Fox flashed to the counter with lightning speed, taking number 69 before anyone else took it.

"Got it!"

"Hehe… you know what that means…" Falco pointed at the ticket Fox held and was promptly knocked over the head by the vulpine.

"Let's see here…" Fox ignored the avian's reaction and observed the tv, which read **SERVING: #64**

"Oh, it's a lot less than I thought." Fox wondered aloud.

"Guess we're lucky today." Krystal added.

"I'm not!" Falco complained.

"Hush, silly head. Isn't this fun enough?" Katt playfully knocked him over the head this time.

Falco rubbed his noggin with pain, "I thought we were talking about luck!"

Katy frowned, "Well then, we collectively are lucky now."

"Fine."

"69! 69!" The butcher called out as the man who ordered before them took his package of meat and exited the store.

"Here!" Fox handed his ticket to the butcher as the shepherd punched numbers into the cash register.

Pulling on new plastic gloves, the butcher asked, "What do you want?"

"Sirloin." Fox ordered.

"This one good?" The butcher pointed at one of the smaller hunks behind him. "Twenty two credits every eight ounces."

" _A bit expensive, but it'll be good._ "

"Sure. Four cuts please."

The butcher unhooked the meat and took out his cleaver, cutting out the four slabs and putting them on the scale.

"Thirty two ounces on the dot. That good?"

"Yes, that is great, thanks." Fox took out his card and paid the eighty-eight credits plus tax (Obviously).

The butcher had packed it meanwhile, and placed it into a bag and gave it to the tod, who smiled and thanked him, "Thank you, sir. Have nice night!" And he and the others turned to go back outside.

"Whew… I need to pick up some things at the mart." Fox informed his companions.

"What? Why?" Falco whined.

"We can't have just steak, you know."

"Hmph, fine."

"Falco just doesn't want to wait too long, as with all of us." Krystal read the avian's mind.

"It won't take long, I promise." Fox told Falco, who only grinned and replied, "Nah, it's fine. You're making dinner, and I need to show my appreciation, ya know?"

"Well then, let's get going then!" Katt declared, and they speed walked to the Fresh Market down the street.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mushrooms... garlic… onions… I think that's it." Fox listed his ingredients and was interrupted by Krystal, Katt, and Falco bringing a bottle of red wine.

"Guys…"

"Shh, it's okay, it goes really well with it. And I'll pay for those." Falco pointed at the shopping basket Fox held in the crook of his elbow. "Let's say this is my way of giving thanks."

"Thanks man." Fox carefully slipped the basket to Falco, who trotted off to the register to pay.

The quartet met up by the front door of the store, Falco now carrying a brown paper bag and Fox the bag from M-Mart.

They hurried home, Krystal unlocking the door and letting everyone in.

"5:56… we don't have too much time 'till we have to start cooking." Fox looked at the clock on the wall.

"By we it means you." Katt playfully reminded him of his enjoyable task ahead.

"Well, I do need some help…" Fox's green eyes glinted mischievously. "And only Falco can help."

"Why?" They all asked.

With the straightest face he could muster at the moment, Fox asked Falco, "I need to beat the meat, and I was hoping you would join me in this activity."

"Noooo that's gay." Falco laughed, and everyone else joined in.

"But in all seriousness, can you help me?" Fox repeated his question in a much lighter tone.

"Yeah, sure. Just not that kind of meat." Falco picked up the groceries and made his way down the hallway.

"I know you wanted to at first though." Fox followed.

"Hell nah!"

"I saw you hesitated!"

"That's just you."

The two males turned to the first right and carried the food into the kitchen, ready to make dinner.

The women went past the opening into the kitchen, rather they went into the next opening, the living room. Plopping on the soft couch, they quickly looked through the short hallway between the two rooms, making sure there were no Foxco shenanigans. (There were none).

That is, until they came up with the most dirty of "tricks".

Fox quietly handed Falco a roller to hit the steak, and then the avian started to rhythmically make contact with the smooth side of the roller. It did the trick, as it sounded as if there was *ahem* action going on.

Krystal and Katt didn't think much about that, until they started to hear dirty talk.

"Harder Falco!"

Krystal whipped around, the devil residing in her eyes.

Falco started to hit harder, and moaned, "Yes, Foxy!"

Katt's mind sent silent murderous messages to Fox and Falco.

"R-right there!" Fox "stammered" loudly.

The blue vixen grit her teeth.

"Ah, Foooooooox…" Falco had blinked just for a second and opened them to a scary sight.

Katt's face was merely inches from his.

"Woah!" Falco stumbled back.

"Don't do that, okay?" Katt smiled innocently, the silent message of "Do that again and I may or may not kill you."

"Yes ma'am." a frightened Falco promised.

Fox looked at this with amazement, that is, until Krystal pulled his ear.

"Hey! Krys! Ow!"

Pouting, Krystal complained, "That's not nice to do in front of US you know."

"Sorry…"

"*Sigh*... that's fine… just… argh." Krystal argued with herself. " _I just couldn't not imagine the images Fox's words made. But… he acted gay. But…"_

"Never mind." Krystal forgave Fox.

She hopped back onto the couch in the other room and turned the tv across the room on, Katt joining her shortly afterward.

The vulpine and avian looked at each other in disbelief at the events that had just unfolded. They decided to finish their job and never think about their acting.

After the arduous job of seasoning, grilling the steak, sautéing the mushrooms and onions, and mincing the garlic on top, dinner was done.

"Finally!" Fox exclaimed, as he dropped some of the last browned onions around the last steak plate.

"Alright!" Falco cheered. "I actually did something!"

"Aw, good for you!" Katt complimented her lover, who pointed at Fox's plates and replied, "These are better though."

"I would hope so!" The tod laughed.

"I am so ready!" Krystal went to the table in the kitchen and distributed the fork and knives.

"Aaaand…" Fox and Falco put down all four dishes on the table. "Dinner is served."

"Don't forget the wine!" Katt brought the wine glasses and they were quickly filled by Krystal.

"All right! This looks delicious!" Falco complimented everyone.

They sat down and they started to bite the savory meat.

"Mmmmy GOD." Krystal's eyes closed as her tongue tasted the perfectly flavored meal. "This is amazing!"

"Can't argue with that." Katt agreed. "All is forgiven, it always was." she waved her fork at the two cooks.

"Don't mention it again, please." Falco shuddered at his ordeal.

They ate in quiet silence, enjoying the steak and finishing it off quickly along with the last of the wine.

"Ah… Perfect dining." Fox sighed as he lay back in his chair.

" _And perfect time_." he looked at the clock, which read an early 7:30.

"Agreed. I'm really tired. What do you guys want to do?" Falco yawned.

"I just want to lay down."Katt offered.

"Then I'll just go on the couch I guess."

"Okay. Let me come with."

The two lept over the back onto the couch and lay there out of sight from the couple in the kitchen.

"Can you help me a little?" Fox asked Krystal

"Sure!"

They cleaned up the plates for a few minutes, and after they had put everything in the dishwasher, they checked on the two on the couch.

"They're sleeping!" Krystal whispered.

"Let's leave them, it's our turn to go to sleep." Fox beckoned Krystal up to their room, turning off the lights and letting their housemates get a good sleep.

Their door was open, and the two closed the door behind them.

"Alright now, Foxy, I have to ask you a favor."

"Anything Krys." Fox smiled at her, eager to help her in any way possible.

"I need you to go on a top secret mission for me." she smirked.

"Oh, okay." Looking at each other with affection, they hopped into the bed and the night was filled with the sounds of Fox's mission.

 _ **Hello!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, which took place a year after the last one. Get ready for the introduction of Wolf in the next one. So, I hope to get that out quickly and make it fun for all of us! Leave a review to let me know if this sort of chapter is fun for you to read.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading and stay foxy,**_

 _ **FireyFox0526**_


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